Battlefield 2183
by GreaterGoodIreland
Summary: Humanity discovers the Mass Effect in the midst of a new ice age and a world wide conflict. The turians were humbled and the batarians crushed. With our place firmly secured by acts of military audacity, Shepard's discovery on Eden Prime leads to the last war. Mass Effect with the background of Battlefield 2142 - Humanity F*** Yeah! - Increasingly AU
1. Prologue

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD:_  
><em>Hello ladies and gents. I've always wanted to write an "Humanity Fuck Yeah!" type story, and so here it is! Mass Effect being the perfect setting, but humanity not being the perfect species for this story, I have opted to include a different backstory for us; the setting of Battlefield 2142.<em>

_As for characters, it'll be a Paragade Jane Shepard, who will be an infiltrator (for good reason as you'll see). Hope to go a little off canon, and we'll see how it goes!_

_FIRST TIME READERS:  
>If you know the background of BF2142, you can skip this part.<br>_

_I suggest you search the following on Youtube: Battlefield 2142 Launch Trailer, Battlefield 2142 Titan Trailer, and Battlefield 2142 Northern Strike Trailer 3. They give a real bit of flavour for what I'm aiming humanity to be about in this.  
><em>

_Hope this prologue story and timeline whets your appetite for the real meat to come later!_

* * *

><p><strong><em>The 22nd Century was to be a golden age. First came the ice. It spread everywhere. Nations fought over the last remaining land. There was chaos and fear. The battle for Earth raged and suddenly, the war was over. The enemy defeated, the stars themselves opened up for us to take. But we were no longer alone.<em>**

****Torfan, 2178  
><strong>**

Shepard hurt all over. Her armour was cracked in a dozen places, and smeared with blood not her own. Fatigue threaded through her very bones. She had been awake almost twenty hours, and she felt every minute of it. A freezing cold wind in the morning air made it worse. She felt like collapsing.

The others had already been claimed. Around her lay corpses. Her entire squad. The biotics from the Army that had been assigned with them. Several liberated slaves who had joined them. All had given their lives so the entrance to the bunker complex could be cleared of slavers and their handlers from the Hegemony. Now, with the doors shattered and the enemy broken, only one human being remained standing.

It had gotten easier to kill with every loss. When they lost Corporal Delgado in the batarian camp a couple of hours before to a booby trapped cell door, Shepard had ordered the place bombed out of spite. With that done with, the next task was the entrance to the underground. The only way was an all-out attack. Major Kyle had been knocked out early, and his biotic subordinates were drawn into a crossfire when they charged to avenge him. Shepard's own team had been cut down trying to stop it. Alone, she infiltrated the enemy position and killed them all. By rifle and by omniblade, she had walked among the batarians like the Angel of Death, claiming their lives in return for those already sacrificed.

As Shepard stood among the mixed dead, a terrible guilt gripped her heart like a vice. These people had followed her and died. And for what? A hole in the ground. She had committed a terrible crime. She had promised that they would all return home as heroes. She had not lied, but not told the truth either. She asked herself why. Why had she been so determined to risk the lives of these young men and women? She couldn't remember.

Her attention changed from the dozens of bodies around her as rumbling and thudding noises approached.

Assault walkers and APCs moved in tidy formations towards her. The main force had landed, as planned and safely thanks to Shepard's own actions, ready to take on the task of clearing the enemy hive. They took up positions, covering the archway.

Atop the lead walker, a large flag flew, flowing in the air. A black flag with the Earth in the middle. The blue of its oceans, the white of the ice that had almost choked civilisation to death, the green and yellow of its forests and deserts, the grey of its megacities. Humanity's mother in all her glory.

Shepard remembered. Major Kyle, Delgado and the others, they had given up their lives so others could live. The batarians had kidnapped, enslaved and killed the children of Earth. It was a mistake they had to pay for, and pay for it they would. Her grip on her weapon tightened. The lieutenant's guilt and numbness turned to the impulse to kill once more. She composed herself quickly, suppressing her emotions as best she could.

An officer climbed out of an APC and walked towards her. Shepard stood to attention and saluted in a parade-perfect manoeuvre. Stepping gingerly over the dead, the man approached.

"Colonel Folkesson, with the 13th," he said, returning her salute, "Report, lieutenant."

"Objectives accomplished," Shepard said, "I'm the only one left, sir."

"...I can see that," he replied, glancing at the bodies for the second time, "Your recommendation as N7?"

"Kill them all, sir," she said firmly, "Send a message to the rest of the galaxy that humanity will defend its people and those that attack us will die with certainty."

The colonel nodded slowly.

"Very well, lieutenant, you are relieved."

"With respect sir, I will keep fighting," Shepard replied, "The mission isn't done yet."

The colonel examined her more closely, and said something into his comms. A squad of troops jogged up.

"Sergeant, this is Lieutenant Shepard, an N7," he said to the soldier in front, "You will escort her as she clears the bunker, is that clear?"

"Crystal, sir."

The colonel turned back to Shepard now, a stoney look on his face.

"Good luck."

Shepard saluted once more, and turned around. She promised to have a drink for those that had died and would die, but for now, the batarians were waiting in their hole. She would oblige them.

* * *

><p>Timeline:<p>

**Pre-War**

**2103**:

The European Union founds Lowell City near the Martian South Pole, the first permanent human settlement on Mars. The achievement is feted as a triumph of European engineering, and threatens to trigger a space race between the European Union-African Union bloc and the massive Pan-Asian Coalition. The US plans further afield, investigating Jupiter's moon "Europa" for possible colonisation.

**2105**:

Arctic and Antarctic summer ice begins a stunning reversal of 21st Century norms, extending to the Eurasian and Canadian mainlands for the first time in fifty years. The discovery and development of fusion technology is celebrated as having finally undone the climatic damage done during the 20th and 21st centuries.

**2100s**:

Technological progress in all areas continues at pace, with anti-gravity technology based on controlled air pockets and plasma weaponry being developed in the Pan-Asian Coalition. US espionage places most of the advances in the hands of the Western powers.

**2112**:

The winter of this year is particularly harsh. The North Sea and the Baltic Sea freeze. Huge glacial flows stretch far into Russia, China, Korea and Japan. Canada nearly disappears under the ice, but its major urban centres are untouched. Populations further north than Moscow are displaced southwards for a number of years.

First anti-gravity aerial assault craft, or Titan, is launched by the PAC, soon followed by European and American projects.

**2119**:

The first year of permanent glacial flows. Emergency session of the United Nations hears evidence that the Earth is entering a new Ice Age. Evidence points to variance in solar output as cause. Treaties of mutual assistance are signed.

**2123**:

Pan-Asian Coalition begins to feel the effects of population movement and loss of huge amounts of agricultural land and resources. Unrest begins, measures put in place to insure order, elections permanently suspended. European Union and United States condemn the Pan-Asian Coalition, but refrains from economic sanctions due to fragility of global economy.

The European Union and Union of African States sign formal military and economic alliance treaty.

**2120s**:

Ice continues to extend further southward each year. Huge areas of Russia and Canada permanently under ice by decade's end.

Space colonisation efforts by the PAC cease as resources are strained, but existing settlements on Mars are maintained.

Assault walkers are field tested.

**2134**:

Titan deployments for humanitarian purposes save millions from starvation in the PAC, but the government of that state foresees mass starvation and economic ruin by the middle of the century without a change in circumstance. PAC begins mass military build-up along border. Europe and Africa respond in kind, concentrating their forces along the Mediterranean. The US increases its defence budget in response, leading to the same from South America and Australia.

Europe builds the three defensive lines in Northern Europe: Minsk, Brandenburg and Maginot.

Steven Hackett is born in Buenos Aires, in the South American Federation.

**2137:**

The last real effort to come to a diplomatic solution for resource distribution between the PAC and EU fails. The attempted US-brokered peace would have seen PAC military technology and resource wealth traded for food and energy technology. Both parties continue diplomatic talks beyond this point, but both use it to stall in order to complete their war preparations.

The Eldfell-Ashland Energy Corporation demonstrates helium-3 extraction from Saturn, causing a severe drop in the American stock market as helium-3 extraction from Luna is put under threat. Luna is an exclusively American holding at this time. The United States falls into a state of civil unrest as its economy is already badly affected by the climatic changes, precluding involvement in the Eurasian Crisis.

David Anderson is born in London, European Union.

**The Cold War**

**2139:**

With coordinated offensives from the Baltic to Africa, the Pan-Asian Coalition declares war on the European Union with the objective of capturing its resources and land.

The Union of African States honours its alliance with the EU and joins the fight. The PAC first strikes prioritise Africa in a conventional assault, drawing away many regular units of the European Army.

The United States' economy begins to recover quickly as European firms and government contracts pour into the country to fill war logistics demands, allowing Washington the time to solve some of its internal problems.

Kahlee Sanders is born in the Texan Megapolis, United States of America.

**November 2139: Minsk**

Operation Canute: Three battalions led by General Arkadi Petrov attack Minsk, the EU's command centre for the Minsk Defensive Line. First deployment of the militarised Titan in live combat operations, changing the nature of human warfare forever. Defence and destruction of titans becomes basis for military strategy during the war.

**2140: Breaking the European Lines**

PAC offensives concentrate on the Balkans primarily, as the region has yet to feel the full brunt of the new ice age. PAC divisions trap EU forces in the region in Belgrade in February. Despite a spirited defence by the EU 9th Armoured Corps lead by General Emil Nikoli, Belgrade falls in March.

The PAC attacks the Brandenburg Line in force. By July, PAC gunships have air superiority over the battlefield, and PAC Titans drop entire regiments behind Berlin. In August, the PAC offensive against Berlin begins, and the city falls two months later. Remaining EU forces retreat to France to make a stand while populations and industrial base is evacuated to Africa.

**2141: Verdun & America  
><strong>

The PAC control much of Europe, but the ice advanced to its furthest point recorded, rendering almost all of the land useless. The Mediterranean remains firmly in EU hands.

The next PAC offensive quickly bogs down at the Maginot line at Verdun. Caught between huge iceflows and the European defences, the PAC walkers and tanks found the attack impossible to sustain. EU tank formations using the less-sophisticated but reliable A-8 Tiger were well able to match the Nekomata hovertanks fielded by the PAC. The EU uses infiltration tactics to destroy PAC titans.

The South American Federation, seeing the other major powers distracted by war, declares its own war on Mexico. Mexican forces defend their borders valiantly, and contrary to the hopes of the SAF, the United States declares war immediately, unable to tolerate the possibility of another world power directly on its doorstep. US Titans deploy to the front, against which the SAF deploys anti-Titan missiles.

By the end of 2141, the PAC copies European anti-titan tactics and Verdun falls, but the EU's strategic objective has been achieved; populations and industry have been moved to Africa. The US and Mexico holds off the SAF, but can make no progress to halt the enemy as their military had not been at high readiness when war broke out.

**2142: The Fall of Europe & The Venezuela Offensive  
><strong>

With Verdun in PAC hands, the offensive swept through France and into Spain.

Cerbere in southern France stands as a stronghold temporarily until the intervention of PAC General Yuri Vladormirovic. Commando units using advanced optical camouflage technology breach the port's defences, but the EU leaves its crack infantry unit, the Hell Brigade, behind to defend the port. The Cerbere Landing establishes itself as the most costly battle of the Cold War.

US Titan forces attack Venezuela en masse, taking heavy casualties but successfully establishing a beachhead. The region is one of the SAF's industrial centres, and they retaliate with a general offensive on all fronts to draw away the Americans from the sector by the year's end.

The assault on Africa begins soon after with the PAC attacking Camp Gibraltar in Morocco. In May, the PAC strikes at the Suez Canal with large scale Titan forces. The EU responds in kind with their own Titan forces, and a campaign of attrition begins. Raids on Tunis and elsewhere fail to stop European and African reinforcements.

**2143: **

Mass migrations, diminishing food supplies and extremely insufficient energy generation ravage the PAC's population. With the political situation becoming increasingly desperate, PAC military forces turn their attention to the EU agricultural city project at Shuhia Tabia. Both sides deploy a dozen Titans, and the fighting over the city lasts a year, after which only two Titans are left. The region will become known as the Titan graveyard.

A similar offensive to capture the huge energy plants at Sidi fails after only two months, as PAC Titans divert to capture Shuhia Tabia or are reserved for logistics roles.

The US are repelled from Venezuela, but not before destroying the facilities there, including the SAF's Titan project factories. Furthermore, a joint US-Mexican offensive takes Panama and the path into Columbia. The entire north of the SAF is under threat.

On Mars, the European Union manages to land specialised military equipment, and attempts to bombard PAC settlements from space without success. The colonists in Lowell City begin training, and the first military unit founded on an offworld colony is raised: the European 1st Martian Armoured Regiment. Given the huge distances and harsh terrain, the government is reluctant to use its military forces aggressively until the right moment.

**2144:** **Stalemate and Prothean Ruins**

The EU repulses the PAC from Africa, and launches limited offensives eastwards from its holdings. A successful raid on a Titan facility in Karkand leaves PAC Titan production crippled. The Europeans prepare to take back their homeland.

US and Mexican forces sweep into Columbia, Peru and Chile as the Titans lead the way. The success of the attack draws the attention of Brazil, which intervenes in order to preserve the balance of power that has reigned in the Western hemisphere for nearly a century. Brazilian reinforcements push US forces back from Chile and Peru, and the first and only Titan battle between the US and Brazil occurs over Lima in September. The Brazilians copy EU and PAC tactics, using missiles to overwhelm the defences of the enemy titans and then infiltrating them to destroy their reactor cores.

The European Union orders its Martian colonies to use its newly raised military force to finally attack PAC settlements on Mars. The Martian 1st Armoured leaves Lowell City on the months-long journey to Vladivostok-on-Mars. The armoured column runs into something entirely unexpected after a modified rover falls into a large pit.

Inside the pit are the ruins of an alien outpost, complete with a cache of technology and a new material: element zero. The offensive against the PAC colonies is called off as the scientists in Lowell City examine the technology and information. News of the discovery is suppressed.

**2145: Endgame**

After half a year of examination of the alien technologies found on Mars, the European Union discovers the mass effect. As its first act, it integrates the new technology with existing orbital military satellite strike capabilities.

The planned counteroffensive to retake Europe from the PAC proceeds at a blistering pace. PAC titans and anti-titan missile installations are subjected to orbital bombardment and are annihilated. EU Titan forces are able to range at will and without contest, and PAC forces are swept back. By the summer of 2145, the EU has restored the pre-war borders.

The PAC refuses to surrender, and the EU retaliates with an all out invasion of its own. They quickly capture vast swathes of territory in Asia. The PAC response is to turn to its nuclear arsenal, which has gone unused until this point out of fear of damaging valuable productive land and further lowering the global temperature. European anti-ballistic missile systems shoot the nuclear strike down before the aging missiles can reach their targets.

The European Union responds to the attempted genocide with targeted orbital kinetic strikes on major PAC government facilities. The PAC collapses into a state of anarchy, and the rump government finally gives in. It surrenders unconditionally on November 11th 2145.

The next day, the EU declares war on the SAF and Brazil, and targets Brazil's titan forces from orbit, forcing the South American allies to the negotiating table with the US and Mexico. The cost of peace is war reparations to Mexico and a demilitarised zone in Central America, as well as the resignations of all those who voted in favour of war.

**Victory to First Contact**

**2146:**

The European Union formally annexes the majority of the Pan-Asian Coalition, setting up client governments in Japan and Korea. This causes it to become the single largest state in the history of humanity. The population of the former territory of the PAC has dropped significantly due to mass migrations to other states as well as starvation and combat losses. Millions of displaced Europeans are resettled. Surviving PAC citizens are granted citizenship of the EU and receive generous subsidies. Those responsible for the start of the war are hunted down and tried for crimes against humanity.

Earth's economy begins to recover.

The advance of the arctic ice halts at last and recedes slightly.

**2148: **

The European Space Agency ship _Ariane_ makes the first manned FTL flight between Mars and Luna. The ESA begins a worldwide recruitment campaign for the best pilots and astronauts.

The United States demands full payment of the massive European war debt, hoping to gain FTL technology. The European Union refuses, stating that it would pay its debts as agreed previously and that its new technologies were not for sale. The US begins serious diplomatic efforts to rally the rest of the world against Europe for its position, calling the hoarding of the technology to be selfish and without regard for the cause of humanity.

The European Union accepts Canada as a member state, allowing millions of Canadian refugees to enter Europe as citizens from the massive refugee camps in the United States.

**2149:**

The secret of European advances in technology is leaked, and the human race learns that it is not the sole sentient species in the universe. Demands from other worlds powers to share the technology gleaned from the Prothean Archives on Mars are met with military brinkmanship from the EU.

Production of mass effect technologies explodes, with everything from small-arms to spaceships being constructed by European state-firms. Petitions to open the technology to private firms are shot down in the European Parliament, which wishes to insure European military superiority before allowing civilian applications.

The Charon Mass Relay is discovered. The American test-pilot Jon Grissom is the first man to leave the Sol System, travelling by mass relay to the Arcturus system on board the European Space Agency ship _Ragnarok_.

**2150:**

The European Union gives in to massive international pressure from friends and rivals alike, and forms the Systems Alliance, a political and military compact for the exploitation of space by humanity. As the largest polity on Earth, the EU dominates the alliance along with the US. Two military wings are formed, the Navy made up of the European fleets under unified political control, and the Army, made up of modernised military forces from all member nations.

Arctic ice recedes partially, releasing parts of Canada, Britain, Ireland and Europe from the glaciers. Mass effect technology is released to the private sector, leading to a boom period of population growth and economic development.

The Systems Alliance begins its first surveys of other systems for habitable planets. Demeter and Eden Prime are among the first to be discovered.

Miranda Lawson is born in Werrington Downs, Australia.

**2151:**

The Systems Alliance accelerates the original European fleet construction programme in anticipation of first contact with extraterrestrials, as well as for the colonisation of space. Ships of all classes as well as orbital-deployed Titans and assault walkers are built en masse. US, African and EU armies are equipped with mass accelerator weapons for the first time.

The first colonisation congress is held in the Palace of Versailles. The European Union cedes the entirety of its rights to the colonisation of Terra Nova to the Union of African States, in compensation of its contributions during the Cold War.

An airport accident in Singapore leads to mass exposures to element zero in dust form.

Kaiden Alenko is born in Singapore, EU-Administered Malaya.

**2154:**

Jane Shepard is born in Lorient, European Union, to Hannah Shepard, a Canadian cadet of the Systems Alliance Navy.

**2155: **

Jeff Moreau is born on Arcturus Station, the new forward naval base of the Systems Alliance.

The ten year anniversary of the end of the Cold War is held, with massive parades in Paris, Mexico City, Cape Town and Washington.

**2157:**

The First, Second and Third Fleets of the Systems Alliance are declared formally ready for combat operations. Exercises in space with the various new weapons designs are ordered as exploration continues at a rapid pace.

Jacob Taylor is born in New York State, the United States of America.

**2157: FIRST CONTACT WAR**

_The Relay 314 Incident:_

A scouting expedition from Shanxi colony attempting to open a mass relay is attacked by a turian force and destroyed. A single exploration vessel returns to Shanxi, which sends out a retaliatory flotilla. The flotilla destroys much of the alien fleet in turn, and the situation escalates. The Systems Alliance, unsure if they're fighting Protheans or some other alien species, they rally the military-grade ships at Arcturus and prepare for total war.

The turians, still looking to police the newly discovered species, rally a fleet and destroy several Alliance scout flotillas before heading to Shanxi itself.

_The Occupation of Shanxi:_

Despite all attempts to stop them, the turians successfully made it to orbit around Shanxi with little effort. They laid siege to the colony, but not before word of the attack was sent to Arcturus. The turians bombarded the Alliance strongpoints from orbit, and then started bombarding food storage facilities and utilities. Guerilla warfare was used to slow down the turian ground troops with some success, but with civilians dying daily and food running low, General Williams called for a surrender. The colony's own defence forces and the accompanying civilians complied.

The United States Colonial Marine Expeditionary Force under Colonel Edward Ryan, a small group of US troops on a tour of colonies with the Alliance, refused the order to surrender. The turians hunted them to Xi'an Valley, where they made a last stand. With the American forces gone and the colony surrendered, the turians occupied the planet and settled in to defend it, assuming that they had destroyed the bulk of the Alliance fleet.

_Outrage:_

Word of the surrender and the massacre of the USCMEF got back to Arcturus just as a fierce political argument was breaking out between the constituent states of the Alliance. Shanxi was a European-backed colony made up largely of former PAC citizens, so the European Union wished to counterattack immediately. However, every other member of the alliance disagreed, refusing to sign off on the huge spaceborne counterattack already being organised by the Europeans. They still did not know who exactly they were fighting and why.

The why became irrelevent as soon as word of the surrender arrived. The United States, who had led the calls for diplomacy, immediately turned on its position. Not aware that their marines had refused to surrender, the Americans assumed that there had been a horrific massacre of surrendering soldiers. The occupation soon outraged all parties, and it was agreed that the counterattack should go ahead as planned.

_Retaliation:_

A month after the occupation began, the Systems Alliance Second Fleet under Admiral Drescher jumped into the system and annihilated the turian fleet guarding the colony. The turians were taken aback by a number of human innovations in space combat technology and tactics, and were outnumbered at any rate. The surviving ships limped back through the Shanxi-Theta relay.

With the turian ships shredded, it was the turn of the army. Titans and shuttles were dropped from orbit, surrounding the colony proper with the soldiers of Europe's Hell Brigade and the American Rangers. L5 Riesig assault walkers, now upgraded with kinetic barriers, blasted the turian occupiers to pieces. The aliens' anti-armour weapons were of little help as the active defences on the human armoured units detonated the munitions before they even hit the barriers. The turians soon adapted, using heavy machineguns to wear down the humans' primitive barriers, but they were simply outnumbered by metal behemoths.

The Alliance retreated, having demonstrated their strength and not wishing to risk the civilians' lives. Titans brought down reinforcements from orbit, and the turians were offered the opportunity to surrender. The aliens surrendered, and the human race saw the face of their aggressor for the first time.

_The Council intervenes:_

With Earth and her colonies now gearing up towards total war against an alien aggressor, and the Turian Hierarchy moving real assets towards crushing the human race, the Citadel Council intervened. Humanity learns that the galaxy is in fact inhabited by many species, many of whom possess mass effect technology, and most of whom organise their political and economic life via the Council. A ceasefire is negotiated between the Systems Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy, with the turians accepting responsibility for the war.

**After First Contact****  
>2157: <strong>

A manifesto for a pro-human group is published, calling for a Cerberus to defend humanity from the alien threats at its doorstep, in the midst of a proliferation of "pro-human" political grouplets and parties. The Systems Alliance dismisses the manifesto as nonsensical.

**2158:**

Ashley Williams is born on the American colony Sirona, in the 61 Ursae Majoris system.

**2160: **

The Systems Alliance Parliament is formed, consisting of a Council of States to represent the original powers and their designated colonies, and a Senate to represent the people directly.

Kasumi Goto is born at an unknown location.

**2161**:

Jack is born on the European colony of Eden Prime.

**2165:**

The Systems Alliance gains an official embassy on the Citadel.

The Batarian Hegemony begins to compete with the Alliance for colonies in the Skyllian Verge. The Alliance slowly prepares for war as the batarians' culture of slavery and aggressive stance leave little doubt in minds on Earth that conflict with the aliens is inevitable.

Legion system adopted by the Systems Alliance Military. Each legion is assigned to a Navy flotilla or colony, and is made up of several regiments of soldiers from an Alliance member state.

**2170:**

The Alliance colony of Mindoir is attacked by Batarian slavers, who seize many citizens and kill many more.

With a potential military coup brewing if no retaliatory action is taken, the Alliance Parliament appeals to the Citadel Council to intervene for the return of the kidnapped colonists. The Council refuses to intervene, so the Alliance Parliament authorises escalating military strikes against the Hegemony until the colonists are repatriated. Alliance Army Titans and armoured forces are dropped onto several batarian colonies in the Verge and occupied, and batarian naval assets destroyed, after which the batarians give up the surviving kidnapped colonists. Outrage at their treatment as slaves leads to an expansion of the Systems Alliance Army and Navy.

The A-61 Mantis, developed from the old Cold War era UD-8 Talon for new technologies, is flown for the first time.

**2171:**

The Batarian Hegemony asks the Citadel Council to limit human expansion in the Skyllian Verge. They are refused, and withdraw from diplomatic relations with the Citadel, becoming a rogue state. The Systems Alliance reacts by a full assault on various mercenary groups in the Verge, pushing them out of the region and into the Terminus Systems.

Worst winter on Earth in a decade, thousands displaced from their homes. Glaciers advance for the first time in seven years.

**2173:**

Out of frustration with the Citadel Council and their tolerance of criminal activities, the Systems Alliance seeks to spread its influence. It successfully signs a treaty with the Quarian Migrant Fleet for technical cooperation in return for a number of visa considerations to quarians on pilgrimage as well as various diplomatic concessions.

**2176:**

Batarian-funded pirates attack the colony of Elysium, but the assault is repulsed with contemptuous ease by the V Legion of the Alliance Army.

In retaliation, the Alliance sends six legions to the joint batarian-human colony of Anhur, crushes the slavers there and seizes the world, expelling the batarians en masse back to Hegemony space.

**2177:**

Slaver activity in the Verge continues, and the Alliance is lead on a wild goose chase to find their stronghold.

An Alliance Army column on Akuze is attacked by Thresher Maws, the first time humans encounter the beasts. The assault walkers suffer heavy casualties, but are able to use the mass effect generators and heavy weapons on their armour to good effect. Several specimens are taken to the biolabs on Arcturus for examination.

**2178:**

The Alliance discovers the main staging base of the batarian slavers on the moon of Torfan, as well as several safe ports the pirates use thanks to their trajectories upon fleeing from the Alliance fleet sent to destroy them.

On the direction of an Navy N7 reconnaissance team lead by Lieutenant Jane Shepard, the XIII Legion of the Alliance Army brutally crushed all resistance by the batarians at the expense of many lives. The majority of the N7 team perished while clearing the dropzones for the Army and in the subsequent close quarters fighting.

Shepard receives a promotion to Commander, and is assigned to the SSV Tokyo under Captain Anderson. The non-human media nickname her "The Butcher of Torfan", whereas the human media prefers "Our Angel of Death".

**2183:**

With the Alliance pulling its weight for the preservation of galactic civilisation, and the Terminus Systems crawling with potential threats to peace, the Turian Hierarchy decides to embark on a joint construction project with humanity for the creation of a new class of stealth frigate.

The first of these is the SSV Normandy.


	2. Chapter 1: Paradise Lost

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD: So here it is, the first real chapter of Battlefield 2183. Out of necessity, it's quite close to canon. The first mission of ME1 is designed to introduce the player to the universe and Shepard, so its structure is ideal for introducing the Shepard of this universe as well as the human race of this universe. Also corrected or lampshaded certain things I found off about the mission's setting. The plan is for the story to diverge more and more with each "act" of the story, particularly as a reflection of humanity's differing attitude to the Council and the setting it finds itself in. Sequels are planned, BF2185 and BF2186, they will be entirely AU based on the events of this fic, though familiar characters will be involved. Because let's face it, they're fucking awesome. _

_This is a Humanity Fuck Yeah fanfic, expect shenanigans along those lines.  
><em>

_Before you ask, yes there will be romance. And no, I haven't decided on who and how that comes into play. Yet._

_If you have never played Battlefield 2142, then you don't know what a Titan or an assault walker is. In addition to the three codex entries that I'll include with the story at the bottom, I suggest you search the following on Youtube: Battlefield 2142 Launch Trailer, Battlefield 2142 Titan Trailer, and Battlefield 2142 Northern Strike Trailer 3. They give a real taste of what both Titans and walkers are all about, and they actually fit in the ME universe quite well._

_Other than that, I hope you enjoy the story._

**Chapter One:** Paradise Lost

"Well, what about Shepard?" asked Ambassador Udina, "She's a spacer, lived aboard starships most of her life."

"Born on Earth though. Military service runs in the family, both parents were in the navy," said Captain Anderson, "Full citizen of the EU, commendations in every operation she ever..."

"She got most of her unit killed on Torfan," said Admiral Hackett, interrupting his subordinate.

"She gets the job done, no matter what the cost," replies Anderson, "We would have lost far more without her."

"Is that the sort of person we want to protect humanity?" asked Udina.

"That's the only kind of person who can protect humanity," said Anderson firmly.

* * *

><p>The door to the debriefing room opened. Nihlus stood at the viewscreen, a picture of Eden Prime's main colony settlement on it and information about the planet streaming past. Captain Anderson was nowhere to be seen.<p>

Shepard approached, unsure if she should say anything until her captain arrived, but the turian turned around as she neared the middle of the room.

"Ah, Commander Shepard, I was hoping you'd get here first, it will give us a chance to talk."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. The crew was already buzzing about the presence of a council Spectre, and a turian one to boot, on what was supposed to be a milk run mission. Joker in particular couldn't shut up about how unusual it was.

"About what exactly?" she asked.

"I'm interested in this world we're going to, Eden Prime, I've heard it's quite beautiful," said Nihlus in a respectful tone, as he paced with his talons behind his back.

"It's a paradise, or so they say," she replied.

"It's become something of a symbol for your people, hasn't it?" he continued, "Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy but also protect them."

Nihlus turned back to the viewscreen.

"But how safe it is really?"

"It's protected by a garrison and there is a fleet only a few jumps away," said Shepard firmly, "It's as safe as any of your colonies. And we plan to glass the homeworld of anyone who tries to take it from us."

The turian sighed wearily, turning back to face her.

"Your people are still newcomers, Shepard, the galaxy can be a very dangerous place. Is the Alliance truly ready for this?"

"Go ask the batarians whether they think we're ready to defend our colonies," said Shepard, taking umbrage at his implication, "We took everything they threw at us and threw them back to their own rock. I think we've earned a little respect."

"There's that human bravado," said Nihlus, a smile revealing the rather wicked looking fangs in his mouth, "The batarians were incompetent, cut off from the Council and were using criminals to do their dirty work for them. The galaxy can throw much worse at humanity, if you aren't careful."

"I think it's about time we told the commander what's really going on," said Anderson, approaching from behind. The commander looked between the two for a moment, until Nihlus nodded.

"This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run," said Nihlus.

"You don't bring one of the most decorated officers in the Alliance and the Butcher of Torfan on a pleasure cruise," said Shepard flatly, "So that was pretty obvious."

Anderson grimaced at the mention of Torfan, while Nihlus simply looked on.

"We're here for a covert pickup, which is why we needed to test the systems before coming here. They found something on Eden Prime, some sort of beacon. It was Prothean. Given that the Archives on Mars pushed humanity out of the dark and ended the Cold War early, I hope I don't need to explain how big this is. Our job is to move the beacon to the Citadel for proper study."

"It goes beyond mere human interests, this discovery could affect every species in Council space," added Nihlus.

"Why not keep it for ourselves?" asked Shepard, directing the question at Anderson.

"Because of Torfan," replied Anderson, "Not to mention pushing the batarians all the way back to their core systems. We've terrified people, even if all we did was in self-defence. Parliament wants us to play nice to improve our reputation, and we don't have the expertise to investigate this anyway."

"Thirty years of looking at the stuff on Mars and we don't have the expertise?" said Shepard, not believing what she was hearing.

"It's different technology to what we found there, apparently," said Anderson.

"You humans don't have the best reputation, improving it is in your interest and Prothean technology is certainly one way to do that," said Nihlus, "But the beacon is not the only reason I am here."

"Nihlus is here to evaluate _you_, Shepard. Humanity has had no real role in shaping interstellar policy, and it shows. The other species tolerate any number of criminal activities in the name of peace, and that's unacceptable to humanity. We want more say on the Citadel Council. We _need_ more say, or else the 'pro-human' groups are going to start gaining ground and we'll end up like the batarians. It's been decided that a human Spectre would be a good step towards that goal."

"And you're agreeing to help us?" asked Shepard, turning to Nihlus.

"I was impressed by the reports from Torfan. A grim business, but you got the job done. We need that sort of steel, which is why I put your name forward for the Spectres."

"Why would a turian want a human for the Spectres?" asked Shepard, "I thought most of you had a chip on your shoulder about the First Contact War?"

"Not all turians resent humanity. Some of us look at your achievements and mentality, and see kindred spirits. You have much to offer the rest of the galaxy, and the Spectres," replied Nihlus, "We can do great things together."

Shepard was stunned. A turian who understood things well enough to understand the potential of humanity was rare indeed, but one who outright welcomed integration? The Commander felt herself warming up to Nihlus.

"That is very good to hear, sir," said Shepard, adding emphasis on the honorific.

"Not to mention, the Navy will be very pleased that the first human Spectre was not from the Army," said Anderson, smiling.

"Hooyah, sir," said Shepard, more enthusiastic about the possibility if it meant upsetting the groundpounders.

"Your job on Eden Prime will be to lead the ground team. Get to the beacon, and secure it for transport onto the Normandy. From there, we'll fly it to the Citadel for transfer to the labs. Word may have gotten out about this, so we have to be prepared. Any number of pirates, criminal groups or corporations could try to make a play for this. This is the border with the Terminus Systems, anything is possible."

"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this!" said Joker via the intercom.

"Bring it up on-screen," said Anderson, as they all turned towards the viewscreen.

The image turned from a tranquil photo of the colony to infantry in a heavy firefight. The enemy could not be seen, and the squad in the video link seemed to be heavily suppressed. Explosions and incoming fire rattled past the camera man.

"We're under attack, taking heavy casualties! They came from nowhere, we need-"

The officer making the request for aid shut up as a loud humming started. The camera swung towards the sky. Surrounded by discharging energies, a giant black ship descended, tentacle like protrusions extending downward towards the ground. It looked truly massive, filling the screen and apparently the sky as well.

The video cut out.

"Comms are down, there's nothing after that," said Joker.

"Reverse and hold at 38.5," ordered Anderson.

The image of the giant tentacled ship returned to the screen.

"Black Forest Protocol, sir," said Shepard.

"Looks like it," said Anderson.

"I don't understand," said Nihlus.

"If communications with a colony is lost, it is Alliance protocol to send recon, and then a planetary assault fleet. After Shanxi, we don't take any chances," explained Anderson, "We'll pass this information along, and go in for recon. High Command will want us in position for the orbital assault, and we can't let the beacon fall into the wrong hands."

"Take us in Joker, fast and quiet."

* * *

><p>Shepard found Alenko and Jenkins in the cargobay, near the assault pods where Nihlus was already waiting. The two were busy checking their armour and weapons. Their armour was covered in the standard EU grey-white camo pattern for urban and arctic warfare. Etched on the side of their helmets and on their shoulder pads, the coat of arms of the Hell Brigade could be seen, a silver lion holding a sword and olive branch, surrounded by a halo of stars. Whatever Shepard had to say about the Alliance Army, they had sent some of the best to compliment the Normandy on this mission.<p>

"Going to make trouble on this mission, Commander?" asked Alenko, with a generous helping of sarcasm, trying to deflect his discomfort about going into a warzone blind with humour.

"I always thought it was you Army boys that were wet behind the ears," she replied.

"Only because we sit on glaciers for days on end while you Navy types sit in cozy ships, lobbing shells from orbit," said Alenko. Shepard laughed, throwing him his weapon in response.

Anderson arrived from the lift, Chakwas in tow.

"Your team will deploy by assault pod and make for the beacon, Shepard. It'll be your job to secure it against all threats. You're authorised to use whatever force you feel necessary. Nihlus will do recon on the area, and relay the intel back to the Normandy. Helping survivors is a secondary objective, the beacon has to stay in our hands at all costs."

"You can count on us, sir," said Shepard.

"And try not to get yourselves shot," said Chakwas, "I may be a doctor, but that doesn't mean I like seeing you hurt."

Shepard raised a thumb to reassure the medical officer, and then closed the assault pod around her.

"Approaching drop point one," said Joker, and a moment later, a loud hiss erupted from the launch tube holding Nihlus' pod.

Anderson rapped his knuckles on Shepard's pod.

"Good luck."

"Drop point two," said Joker.

* * *

><p>The world fell away, as the assault pod was shot out of the Normandy and towards the planet.<p>

Shepard rattled around inside the pod as it powered its way through the atmosphere towards the dropzone. The ground closed at a lightning pace. Fires and smoke could be seen more and more clearly, but no signs of targets or civilians. The howling of the wind was the only thing to be heard other than the altitude reader's ever more rapid beeping.

The pod hit the ground with a dull thud, the mass effect generators firing up to allow a textbook landing. The sections of the pod opened up, and Shepard stepped out into the acrid air for her first real look at Eden Prime. The skyline was red from a mix of the setting sun and the light from burning buildings, but it was still easy to see why the colony was considered a paradise. Nothing but verdant hills, little woods and lakes as far as the eye could see. Now it was on fire.

"Dropzone secure, Commander," said Alenko, coming up on her position with Jenkins.

Shepard nodded to him.

"Troop Command Europa, Verdun squad is on the ground, going radio silent," Shepard transmitted, before waving her companions forward.

They rounded a large rock outcrop, and almost ran straight into a balloon creature of some kind that was floating lazily in the air.

"What the hell is that?" asked Alenko.

"Gasbags, they're harmless," replied Jenkins, "Watch."

The corporal shot the nearest specimen with his sidearm and it blew up with a bang.

"See?" the man said, satisfied with his work.

Shepard slapped him on the backside of his helmet.

"Giving away our position, real smart," she said, "Come on, let's get moving before someone comes to investigate why the party balloons are popping."

The group advanced onto the next ridge, with Jenkins on point.

"What is that smell?" he asked after a moment.

"Something familiar," replied Shepard.

"Smoke and death," said Alenko, clarifying.

The burnt bodies came into view soon after, laying where they fell. Each was arranged in a number of grotesque positions, showing exactly the dead person felt about being burning alive. Shepard pushed them on, mostly for Jenkins' sake. He had not seen much of that sort of thing before this mission, and Shepard saw no reason to introduce him to it yet.

They came up on another hill, overlooking the main settlement. Jenkins rushed ahead as Shepard and Alenko sighted the buildings below, looking for signs of activity.

Without warning, two drones burst from cover. Jenkins shouted, trying to get the attention of his squadmates. The drones opened fire with some sort of rapid fire plasma weapon, and riddled the corporal with fiery holes. Jenkins' body dropped to the ground, as the drones turned their attention to the survivors.

Shepard dropped behind a large stone, and readied her pistol as the lieutenant laid down suppressing fire to prevent the damned robots from closing the gap. Producing an EMP grenade, she tossed it at the drones' position. It exploded with a gratifying blue flash, discharging electricity over a wide radius.

The drones dropped to the ground, and Shepard rushed up the hill at full sprint. She found the metal hulls lying on the ground near the top of the hill, and shot each three times before they could reboot. The wrecks buzzed and died.

The lieutenant was crouching over Jenkins' body when Shepard turned around, and she joined him.

"Ripped right through his shields, didn't stand a chance," said Alenko, standing up.

"Soldiers die, but the rest of us have to carry on with the mission. We need to find that beacon," Shepard said, "Not to mention find out who those drones belonged to."

"Yes, sir," Alenko said.

* * *

><p>The pair continued on their way, into a forested area. Shepard dispatched another group of drones from a distance with her sniper rifle, having spotted them entirely by luck through the trees. They had been hovering near something, patroling in a lazy pattern.<p>

Shepard repositioned to see what they were protecting, and put her eye to the scope again.

"What the hell!" she shouted.

Two geth were dragging a screaming man towards a small platform of some kind. Shepard began to aim in on the nearest of them, hoping to blast the damned thing to oblivion. As she was about to fire, the man was put on the platform and a twenty foot spike slammed through him, hoisting him into the air. Shepard fired, knocking out the first of the geth, as Alenko charged forwards to engage the second.

As the biotic lieutenant threw the target to the ground, smashing it with mass effect fields, a figure emerged from a small crevice leading down the other side of the hill. The soldier was being chased by two more of the geth drones. She tripped and fell. Shepard sighted them, but it was too late. As the drones were about to deliver the killing blow, the white-armoured soldier rolled over. Bringing up a pistol, she blasted the things to pieces, before scrambling behind cover.

More geth were running into the space from where the soldier had come from. Alenko ran to the newcomer, and together they began to engage the synthetics. Shepard stayed back, plugging each geth with a well placed shot to the 'head' before targeting the next. The lieutenant pulled the last of the enemy towards his position, flinging them over the top of the rock they were hiding behind. The soldier rushed forwards and poured fire on each of them. The fight was over.

Shepard approached, putting her sniper rifle back on its magnetic holster, and examined the soldier. The white armour the woman wore was scarred by hits, but she seemed to be in good enough shape to fight.

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, 212th Cohort," the soldier said, putting her own weapon away, "You the one in charge here ma'am?"

"What the hell happened here, chief?" Shepard asked, "Where did the geth come from?"  
>Ashley looked flustered, as she took a deep breath and collected her thoughts.<p>

"We were on patrol when they showed up out of nowhere. We tried to get off a distress call, but they cut off the comm buoys and I've been fighting for my life ever since."

"We got your distress signal and passed it along," replied Shepard, "The cavalry is on the way. Are you alright?"

"No, I think... I think the rest of my squad are dead."

"We can find out when this is all over, but in the mean time, I need you to take me to the beacon."

"...Sure, it's this way..." said Ashley after a pause. The group walked past the giant spike, the man impaled on it now quite dead. Blood had stopped pouring down the length of the shaft, coagulating. The ferrous smell of it wafted through the breeze.

"Any idea what the hell these things are?" asked Shepard.

"No, the geth just started putting people on them as soon as they arrived," replied Ashley.

"Why would the geth come out of the Veil for the first time in two hundred years, only to impale people on spikes when they can shoot us far more easily?" mused Alenko, as they continued moving.

"Shepard, this is Nihlus. I've found the spaceport, moving to investigate. I'll meet you there once you've secured the beacon."

"Copy that, good luck."

* * *

><p>Ashley lead Shepard and Alenko to the edge of a pit. More geth were there.<p>

"Ambush, with the digsite as the bait," said Shepard, frowning, "We'll turn it on them, get down there and hide."

Ashley and Alenko crept down behind rocks, moving slowly crouching behind mounds of rubble and excavated rock. Shepard watched them. Once the trap was set, she shattered a geth's chest with her rifle. The round went straight through, showering the rest with shards of metal.

Predictably, the rest of the geth moved to attack Shepard, running right past the lieutenant and gunnery chief, blasting away at the Commander's position with their pulse rifles. When the geth had all broken cover, Ashley opened fire with her assault rifle as Alenko sent warp fields into them. The geth were cut down in seconds, caught entirely by surprise and in the open.

"Clear," reported Alenko. Shepard left her firing point and joined the other two.

"Well played guys," said Shepard, "Wasn't sure that would work."

"We'll have to remember that one," said Kaidan, strolling into the Prothean ruin.

"More of the spikes," muttered Ashley, examining a whole line of them queued up along the ruined walls. More people hung like trophies from them, more pools of blood gathered below.

"And no beacon," added Shepard, "Where would they have moved it?"  
>"The research camp," said Ashley, "It isn't far, this way."<p>

The Gunnery-Chief lead the way up another slope, out of the pit and towards a small encampment. Yet more spikes were waiting for them there, like grizzly totem poles, but there was no sign of the beacon.

The spikes suddenly collapsed in on themselves, turning back into small platforms, leaving the formerly impaled corpses lying on top. Shepard tensed up, bringing her rifle to bear. She was wise to do so, as the corpses twitched and then got up. They had been embedded with some sort of cybernetics. With a terrible howl, the bodies charged towards the squad.

"Not good, not good!" shouted Ashley as she fired on the husks.

About twenty of the things were hobbling quickly over, and bullets were a lot less effective than they should have been. Shepard switched to her assault rifle and hosed the abominations down. Alenko held them off with biotics long enough for the others to line up enough shots to shred each of the targets individually.

The last husk was luckier however, managing to sneak up on Alenko. It grabbed him, and a huge electrical discharge erupted from its body. The lieutenant screamed with pain, before Ashley ripped the husk off of him and slammed her riflebutt into its face, crushing the front of its skull. Alenko slumped to the ground for a moment.

"You alright, Kaidan?" asked Shepard, as the man struggled to get to his feet with Ashley's aid.

"That hurt like hell, commander," he said, "But I'm good to go."

"What the hell did the geth do to these people?" asked Ashley.

"Turning the dead into cannon-fodder," said Alenko.

"Clever," Shepard said, kicking the shredded remains of a husk, "Don't risk your own when the enemy can fight for you."

"Also, horrifying," said Ashley, "The geth will pay for this."

"No argument there," replied Shepard.

"I don't see the beacon. It must be at the port.."

* * *

><p>As the squad made its way towards the spaceport, a single gunshot rang out into the air. Shepard called for a halt.<p>

"That didn't sound like a geth rifle," she remarked, "Double time!"

Rushing up the hill, she made it to the top in no time at all.

The hairs on Shepard's neck stood on end, and her heart beat like a drum, as she was confronted by a stupendous sight. The giant kraken dreadnought was taking off, writhing in static discharge as it rose into the sky. As if that wasn't enough to take Shepard's breath away, at the spaceport entrance stood entire squads of geth and more of the spikes.

Alenko fired off to Shepard's right, and she turned, seeking a target. The lieutenant had downed a husk, and now the entire geth force was aware of their presence. They turned towards the humans together with stomach churning choreography. Each raised their rifle simultaneously, as if they were controlled by some puppeteer. The fire came at Shepard in a great wave. She dived. The hypervelocity slugs broke against the cover of a metal platform.

Tossing a grenade in the hope of catching advancing geth unaware, Shepard turned on her comms.

"This is Verdun Squad, request fire support at Eden Prime spaceport near target coordinates," she said as calmly and loudly as she could, "Normandy, do you read? Nihlus?"

Nothing but static came as a response, and Shepard cursed profusely. A geth platform hopped over the wall beside her. She nearly jumped out of her skin, as it reaches for her. Grabbing her pistol, she shot the synthetic. The geth falls to the ground with a clanging sound, but Shepard kept shooting it until her pistol overheated. The gun hissed at her, as if it was complaining about the abuse, discharging hot air from its side.

"Commander, look!" said Ashley, pointing to the sky. Shepard followed her finger, expecting the kraken-shaped dreadnought to have returned.

Instead, a dozen Alliance titans were dropping in from orbit, powering up their drives and coming to hover over the city.

"Verdun, this is T245, inbound on your position to provide fire support."

The hulking form of the nearest titan came closer, and the huge guns on its belly opened fire. The geth were stuck as if by the gods themselves, being blown to pieces as craters sprung up where entire squads of the synthetics stood seconds earlier. Those left standing regrouped and retreated in good order, as armoured walkers dropped from the back of the planetary assault craft.

The geth turned and opened fire on the armoured giants. The assault troops immediately spun up the gatling guns sticking out of their walkers like fangs, streaming hypervelocity rounds towards the enemy. Cover was torn aside along with the geth themselves, their broken bodies unrecognisable for what they were. The first was over.

Shepard breathed a sigh of relief, and got up from her position.

The Titan landed, and platoons of infantry began disembarking, fanning out to secure the area. The walkers pounded away into the hills, walking past Shepard and her squad as they made their way towards the outer settlements. A tank leader saluted from a cupola on top of the lead walker as it passed by, and Shepard returned the gesture.

An officer walked up, escorted by several others, all decked out in full armour down to faceplates that made them all look like statues of some kind. Unlike Lt. Alenko, their armour was more suitable for the lush forests of the planet they were standing on, being a muted set of greens and browns. Shepard ordered her companions to search for the beacon, and waited.

The officer removed his helmet, revealing black hair and a grim face.

"Commandant Coats, Legio II Britannia," the man said as he saluted, stating the official title of his unit in cockney-accented Latin, "I presume you're the N7?"

"Commander Shepard, N7, assigned to the Normandy," she replied, shaking the man's hand, "The beacon isn't secure yet, and there are geth everywhere."

"It's the bloody Angel of Death!" exclaimed one of troops to his counterpart, betraying a Scottish accent.

"Hush, sergeant!" ordered Coats, causing the pair to stand at attention.

"It's alright, Commandant," said Shepard, looking the two down, "I'm used to it."

Ashley ran up from the loading docks, and saluted the officers.

"Commander, you're going to want to see this," she said, the urgency clear in her voice.

"Coats, with me," said Shepard, as she followed the gunnery-chief.

* * *

><p>They came up onto the raised platform, where Alenko was stooped over yet another body. A turian body.<p>

Nihlus lay on his side, his weapons still holstered to their magnetic grips, a gaping hole in back of his head. Shepard swore under her breath, and massaged her temples.

"High Command is going to shit bricks," said Coats, "If this is who I think it is."

"It is," said Shepard, kneeling to examine the body, "Shot in the head, point blank if the muzzle burn is any indication."

"Sir, we found a civilian hiding behind the crates," said a corporal, the civilian in question being escorted between two burly privates, "And more down in the storage barn of the nearest farm."

"Who are you, citizen?" asked Coats, waving his hand towards Nihlus' body, "What were you doing back there?"

"M-my name is Powell, I saw what happened to that turian. The other one shot him."

"Other turian?"

"The other one got here first, he was waiting for something. The dead one showed up, and dropped his guard like he knew him. Called him Saren or something. Then the Saren guy just pulled out a pistol, and shot him in the back. I'm just glad he didn't see me, he was the meanest looking turian I've ever seen."

"Do you know where the Prothean beacon is?" asked Shepard, getting impatient.

"It's on the other platform, at the other end of the port," said Powell, "Saren hopped on the cargo train, after he shot your friend."

"Alright, Mr. Powell, consider yourself detained by the Alliance Army for questioning," said Coats, nodding to his men to put the man in cuffs, "We'll need everything you know."

"Hey, wait!" said the dockworker as he was pulled off towards the landed titan, his feet dragging between his captors.

"Alright Coats, we need to get to the beacon before the geth make off with it," said Shepard, "You're with me, bring a platoon."

"Yes, Commander!" said Coats, before ordering up a unit to meet them at the cargo docks.

* * *

><p>The journey on the train was only a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity to most of its passengers. The geth seemed to have disappeared, and the vulnerability of the transport to attack had everyone on edge. With nothing to hide behind, the troops took to setting up deployable shields along the length of the train. Shepard ignored them, standing at the very front, watching the end of the line intently as it moved ever closer.<p>

"Where are they?" asked Ashley, joining Shepard.

"Waiting for us," said Shepard, "They'll hit us the moment we get to the station."

"Then why are you up here?" the gunner-chief asked, "Won't you be hit first?"

"Not if I hit them first," came the reply.

Shepard grinned, and readied her assault rifle.

The train took a few minutes to arrive, and did so with a lurch. The Commander immediately vaulted the railings onto the platform, and began running towards some crates.

Sure enough, a geth unit popped its head around the storage as Shepard closed it down, activating her omnitool and sending a flash-forged blade straight through the thing's head. Ashley and Kaidan scrambled to follow her, as she blasted another geth that emerged beside the now-headless target. The rest of the geth emerged from the station and fired on Commandant Coats' troops as they disembarked from the train.

Shepard switched to her sniper rifle, and began eliminating the geth firing on the troops with cold efficiency. As long as they had something else to shoot at, she would wreck them all. Several soldiers went down to the geth fire before they made it to adequate cover.

Once off the train, they all made good progress, not least because of the flanking fire from Shepard's team. Coats' squad shadowed the platform's edge, shooting up onto the station proper.

"Radiological alarm!" said Coats, stopping his fire and examining his omnitool, "We've got something nuclear nearby."

"Find it," said Shepard between breaths, "Quickly."

The officer complied, and soon found the offending item.

"It's a bomb," he reported, "Or it looks like it. You better get back here."

"The geth are retreating," said Shepard, "On the way."

By the time the Commander arrived, Coats had the bomb opened, his men standing around him looking very unhappy.

"We have less than five minutes before it detonates," said Coats.

Shepard knelt beside the thing, examining the bomb and its detonator.

"It's a multi-kilotonne nuclear warhead," said Shepard calmly, "It'll destroy everything in this colony and the 2nd Legion with it."

"Can you disarm it?" asked Alenko.

"If I had more time, yes, but I doubt this is the only warheard. The geth would have put it somewhere more defensible if this was the only one," said Shepard.

"So we're all dead?" asked Ashley, hardly believing her luck.

Shepard stood up, putting her hand to her mouth and pacing towards the railings for a moment. Ashley and Alenko looked at each other, wondering if she had given up.

"Coats, order your men to turn off their NetBat systems and omnitools," Shepard said, already turning her own off.

"You heard the woman, turn your shit off!" he said loudly, trusting in Shepard's reputation. The troops complied quickly, a glimmer of hope sweeping through the faces.

"Normandy, this is Shepard. I need an immediate wide-area EMP strike on my position."

"Copy that, strike package on the way," said Joker, "Thirty seconds until blast."

"Will that stop the geth?" asked Coats.

"It should stall them for a few minutes, but that's not the point. This bomb isn't shielded for EMP, the detonators will short out and they won't fire."

"That's quite a gamble," said Alenko, "What if we don't get them all or if other charges are shielded?"

"There's no way we'll be able to fight through the geth and disarm each bomb in time. We have to take the risk."

"Troops, reload," said Coats, "As soon as this hits, we charge."

The Normandy came into view, soaring down from the sky like a bird of prey. As soon as it lined up with the station, everyone took cover. The EMP cannon pulsed repeatedly, humming with each discharge, bathing the entire station in blue-green electrical blooms. The ship then pulled up at the last second, buzzing the station and the troops in a stunning display of piloting. Joker would be bragging about that one for weeks, thought Shepard as she got up.

The smell of ozone filling the air, she reactivated her systems and ran forwards. Soon joined by the rest, they sprinted into the station quickly. The synthetics were disorientated, some lying on the ground, others getting back to their feet.

The squads relished the opportunity to kill each of the geth, tossing grenades at them and smashing them with omnitools and rifles. Husks descended from more of the mysterious spikes, and ran towards the vengeful soldiers.

"Watch the husks!" said Shepard, plugging one from the top of a balcony as they rushed forwards. For three of the soldiers, the warning came too late. The husks grabbed a hold of them, detonating their cybernetics. The troops were crippled with pain, and the husks tore the men to pieces before enough fire returned the favour.

"What in the hell were those?" asked Coats, as Shepard hopped down off the balcony.

"The latest horror show," said Shepard, "The geth make those things from the colonists by impaling them on those spikes."

"That's ... beyond words," said Coats, as his troops saw to the dead.

Shepard turned to the cargo area, and there it was. The Prothean beacon. A pillar of polished metal, with a computer attached to the bottom.

"So this is it?" asked Alenko, "It's smaller than I thought it would be."

"It better be worth it," said Coats.

"Nihlus thought it was," replied Shepard, eyeing the surface of the artifact.

Ashley approached the beacon slowly.

"It wasn't doing that when they dug it up," she muttered, taking another step towards it, "Something must have activated it."

The beacon started to power up, with green lights shining down it's entire length now. Shepard looked on as Ashley appeared to be pulled towards it by some force. The beacon started making a lot of noise, which was rising in pitch.

Shepard rushed to Ashley, and taking her by the waist, flung her back. Now, she was caught in the beacon's grip, which pulled her just in front of its interface and levitated her body. Shepard's head pounded with pain for a moment. Images flashed into her mind. More of the kraken-like ships descending from the sky. People being torn apart. Bodies piled as high as houses. Planets scorched from space. Massive fleets doing battle.

The beacon exploded, tossing Shepard to the ground. She fell unconscious.

* * *

><p><strong>Codex: Titans<strong>

_A Titan is a huge airborne fortress that serves as a transport, air support vehicle, gunship carrier and mobile operations base. Developed by the Pan-Asian Coalition before the 2139 Cold War, the European Union developed their own line of Titans to counteract the project and the vehicle has served with human military forces ever since. The addition of mass effect technologies means that these flying behemoths can be dropped from orbit with entire companies of troops on board, along with armour and limited air support. _

_The role of the Titan in late 22nd Century combat is constantly debated, especially outside of the System Alliance. A Titan's kinetic barriers are essentially immune to damage from the vast majority of conventional arms capable of being deployed on planets, and they now carry vertically mounted EXALT launchers for dealing with ships attacking them from orbit, but they remain vulnerable from attack from space. The Turian Hierarchy, the only Citadel species to have direct combat experience against titans, has begun a limited construction run of a titan project of their own, which may lead to the adoption of the concept by all major military powers._

**Codex: L5 Riesig Assault Walker**

__A bipedal assault walker or armoured mech_ famed for its reliability and firepower, the L5 Riesig is entering its sixth decade in the service of human militaries. Developed in Germany before the 2139 Cold War, the Riesig originally possessed twin vulcan cannons, a multiple rocket launcher system, an anti-aircraft cannon and an active defence system not dissimilar from naval GARDIAN batteries. By the 2170s however, it has been upgraded significantly, with gatling mass accelerators, a variety of anti-vehicle weaponry mounted both in the hull and the top turret. It is also now capable of being dropped from orbit or in atmosphere, from ships or Kodiak Heavy Lift shuttles.  
><em>

_Sheathed in hardened and ablative armour, sporting both active defence systems and kinetic barriers, the Riesig is a truly tough nut to crack. The turian occupiers of Shan'xi found that their anti-armour weapons based on missiles were entirely inadequate, and they did not possess enough high calibre accelerators to turn the tide. The batarians by contrast studied the human way of war extensively both before and during their conflict with the Alliance, and equipped their forces with both fast firing anti-barrier weapons and large calibre AT guns to try and compensate. Despite their advantages, no other military powers in the galaxy have decided to design walkers, leaving the Riesig the only walker officially in service with any species' military.  
><em>

_The Riesig was upgraded after the Skyllian Blitz for even more barrier strength and ablative armour, and remains the Alliance's go to armoured vehicle for operations on irregular terrain. It has become so ubiquitous that it is said that if Mikhail Kalashnikov designed an assault walker, the Riesig would be it. _


	3. Chapter 2: Realpolitik

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD:_

_Here we are now, some real meat! Shepard wakes up, we get the situation and heads to the Citadel for a chat with politicians. Just not the ones you're expecting. Yet._

_Cookies for those who get the hat-tip to another game I enjoy very much._

_Shout out to the 16 Irish people who have read this according to the stats, and indeed, everyone else. There seems to be a stunning number of Mass Effect/2142 fans out there, as I've had this out only a couple of days and we're looking at views in the thousands. _

_This chapter is where the "Humanity Fuck Yeah" vibe really starts to take off. At least I think so._

_Shenanigans and the Council to come in the next chapter._

_Two codex entries at the bottom as well._

_Enjoy._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two: Realpolitik<strong>

Shepard woke up, her head ringing like a bell. She was lying down on her stomach, on a bed. Cracking her eyes open, she discovered she was in the Normandy's medbay. Relieved that she wasn't dead, she rolled over and sat up, rubbing her head.

"Doctor Chakwas, she's awake," said Ashley, running over and holding her by the shoulder, "Are you alright Shepard?"

"You tell me," Shepard replied, groaning to herself as she looked around to see who else was there , "I feel like I just woke up from night of tequila."  
>"Well, I'm glad to report that you are still alive, and physically fine," said Chakwas, "You had us worried when they brought you in, but the only thing that was out of order was some unusual brain activity."<p>

"That figures," said Shepard, "The beacon did something to me."

"It's my fault, I must have triggered a security field when I got close to it," Ashley said with a sigh, "You had to push me out of the way."

"I remember that part," said Shepard, "But don't worry Chief, I think the EMP strike had more to do with it than anything you did."

Ashley looked like a weight had been taken off her shoulders, and took an easy breath.

"We don't know what set it off, and now, we'll never get the chance to find out," said Chakwas.

"The beacon exploded after it was done with you, and the blast knocked you out," Ashley explained, "The Lieutenant and I carried you back to the ship."

"Thanks," said Shepard, "Doc, did you say something about brainwaves?"

"Yes, and you were experiencing increasing rapid eye movement," said Chakwas, "Were you dreaming?"

"I saw... something. Terrible things. Death, destruction," said Shepard slowly, "It's all confused."  
>"Hmm, I better add this to my report..." started Chakwas.<p>

Captain Anderson walked into room in his dress blues, marching with a purpose. Ashley stood to attention and saluted. Shepard followed the chief's example, with more difficulty.

"At ease Shepard, you were hurt," said Anderson kindly, "Sit down, that's an order."

Shepard complied at once, collapsing back onto the bed, as Ashley grinned.

"If she's alright, I would like to speak to the Commander in private," Anderson said to Chakwas and Ashley. The gunnery-chief saluted, and left after a glance at Shepard.  
>"All readings are normal Captain, she's fit for duty," Chakwas added, before following Ashley out into the mess hall.<p>

"Looked like the beacon hit you pretty hard," said Anderson, "Are you sure you're ok?"  
>"I'm fine. Was a little surprised to find Chief Williams here though."<br>"I figured we could use a soldier like her. She's been reassigned to the Normandy."  
>"Williams is a good soldier, even if she is Army, sir," smiled Shepard, "She kicked ass groundside."<br>"Lieutenant Alenko thought so too, which is why I agreed to back her transfer to the Hell Brigade."

"You said you needed to speak to me in private?" said Shepard.  
>"I won't lie to you Shepard, things look bad. Nihlus is dead, the beacon is destroyed and the geth are invading."<br>"The Council are going to squeeze us for this," said Shepard, "Instead of a tidy op and Prothean secrets, they get a dead Spectre."

"That's not even the biggest of our problems. Eden Prime was a symbol of humanity's reach for the stars. An emergency session of Parliament has been called, and the media is buzzing. Colonies across the Traverse are fearing for their existence, and the people back on Earth are treating it like a new Pearl Harbour."  
>"With respect sir, isn't that exactly how we should be treating it?" asked Shepard.<br>"That's not our determination to make," said Anderson, "The situation with the Council is delicate because we lost the beacon, and we can't fight the geth and the Citadel at the same time."

"The Council can kiss my ass, they can't blame me or humanity for losing the beacon," said Shepard loudly, "We didn't do anything wrong."  
>"The Cabinet of Ministers agrees with you," said Anderson, "They've already decided to back you and your report. You were a hero to many on Earth after Torfan, they're willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. But that's not why I'm here. It's Saren, the other turian."<p>

Anderson sighed, and paced about for a moment. Shepard looked on. The Captain had a disgusted look on his face at the very mention of the turian's name.

"Saren's a Spectre, one of the best. A living legend. But if he's working with the geth, it means he's gone rogue. Saren's dangerous, and he despises humans."  
>"Why?" asked Shepard.<br>"He thinks we're growing too fast, taking over the galaxy," said Anderson.  
>"Aren't we?" smirked Shepard.<br>"We've come very far in a short time, sure. Point is that we don't have malicious intentions towards anyone," replied Anderson, "But intentions don't matter to Saren, and he has allied to the geth somehow. And the only clue we have is that beacon."

"The beacon picked you up before it blew up, did it give you any information? Anything that might tell us what Saren's after?"

"A vision of some kind, synthetics, maybe geth, slaughtering people. Bodies stacked as high as buildings, planets burning," said Shepard, grimacing at the implanted memory.

"We need to report this to the Alliance, Shepard," said Anderson.  
>"And say what exactly?" she asked incredulously, "That I had a bad dream?"<p>

"Prothean data-troves could have any type of information in them. For all we know, you just had the plans for Prothean superweapons downloaded into your mind, information Saren could use against us. I know him, he believes humans are a blight on the galaxy, and this attack was an act of war. With Prothean secrets and an army of geth behind him, he may try to wipe humanity from the face of the galaxy!"

"I'll take him down or die trying, sir," said Shepard grimly, looking away, "The way he killed Nihlus was barbaric."

"It's not that easy," said Anderson, "He's a Spectre, so he can go anywhere and do almost anything without consequences. He has resources beyond that of entire corporations or colonies. And Parliament will still want his head on a plate."

"Won't the Council be pissed if we just kill one of their top agents?"  
>"Well, the ministers are currently deciding how to deal with the Council," said Anderson, "The ambassador has also been contacted to arrange a meeting, so we can present our report. What our report says will depend on what our own government decides. I don't expect we'll be apologising any time soon."<p>

"So what next?" asked Shepard.

"We're already on the way to the Citadel," said Anderson, "When we get there, you'll brief the ambassador and the government on what you found down there. After that, we'll meet the Council and see what they have to say."

"And if the Council say that they won't let us hunt down Saren?"

"Then it's war," said Anderson, almost with a growl, "Probably taking the whole galaxy with us."

* * *

><p>Shepard left the medbay after fifteen minutes, as Chakwas performed some final checks and prescribed some booster pills to keep up her strength. Anderson left to talk to the ambassador about the visions she had after the beacon picked her up, and Shepard was nervous that they would think she was mad. Getting Category-6'ed out of the navy was not her preferred retirement plan.<p>

The thought left her head, as Ashley waved her over to the mess table.

"I'm glad you're okay, Commander, the crew could use some good news after what happened to Jenkins," said Ashley, "Part of me feels guilty about what happened, it feels like I'm replacing him."

"You're a good soldier in your own right, you're not replacing him," said Shepard, trying to put her worries to rest, "But when a person's number is up, it's up."

"That's grim Commander. I guess it's unsurprising that you'd see it that way though, with Torfan and all. That must have been hell."

"What happened had to happen. We all signed up knowing that we were signing up to give our lives so others could live. Doesn't mean I like sacrificing soldiers, I just understand why we need to."

"I understand as well ma'am, and I won't let the Alliance down," said Ashley, standing straighter.

"I know you won't," replied Shepard, "And for the record, I'll miss Jenkins. He was a good man."

Shepard paused for a moment, looking at the gunnery-chief. She had been through a lot in her own right on Eden Prime.

"What about you, Williams?" she asked, "Things got rough for you as well, are you okay?"

"I've seen friends die before, I've been in combat. It's just, my entire unit... The civilians hanging from those spikes... I'm just glad you showed up when you did."

"Give yourself some credit too," said Shepard, "You survived on your own against plenty of geth before we came."

"Thanks Commander. I was worried about being assigned to the Normandy, it's nice when someone makes you feel welcome."

"You kicked a lot of ass back on Eden Prime," said Shepard, "I'm very glad to have you."

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>The Citadel was a marvel in Shepard's eyes, and she spent the approach to dock with it gawking out of the windows with Ashley and Kaidan. The size of the station, its wards, the colour from the nebula behind it, even its defence fleet was beautiful. Of course, Shepard knew what the beauty was hiding. The Citadel Council had dominated the galaxy for thousands of years, cooperating together to solve many problems, but also insuring the dominance of the top species. Humanity, not even on the galactic scene for the space of a single human lifetime never mind that of an asari, did not register as a "major" species.<p>

That was changing. With the defeat of the batarians, an act that Shepard had no small part in bringing about, even the turians had sat up and taken notice. The batarians had reacted to humanity's entry with state-sponsored terrorism and criminality. The Council approved heartily when the Alliance crushed the batarian military but refrained from conquering the Kite's Nest outright. They then asked that humanity climb down from a militarised stance, wanting humans to fall into line, to rely on the turians for defence like the rest. The Alliance refused, pointing to the Terminus Systems and the lack of action by the Council to secure the Traverse. What came about was a stalemate, between humanity's desire to go forth and conquer those that would do it harm, and its desire to avoid the isolation and eventual humiliation that the batarians inflicted on themselves by withdrawing from the Citadel.

These tidbits of history and politics flooded Shepard's mind as she was taken to the human embassy on the Presidium. With the geth attacking, the balance could tip either towards integration or isolation of humanity from the rest of the galaxy. The Commander knew she would have some role to play, and she was not looking forward to it. Political bullshit always had a way of obscuring duty.

* * *

><p>"It's an outrage!" shouted Ambassador Udina as Shepard stepped into the embassy's main officer, "The Council would step in if the geth attacked a turian colony!"<p>

The ambassador was standing in front of a communications platform, and three holographic figures stood on it.

Two of them were recognisable to pretty much any human in the galaxy: Alexander deBankole and Alice Dennison. The consuls of the Systems Alliance, the leaders of humanity. The former was a retired European army general of African descent, whereas the latter was a former CEO of various corporations and a cousin of the President of the United States.

Together, they possessed immense power, rivaled by no other executive in the galaxy save for the Primarch of Palaven.

Shepard was surprised to see these legendary public figures. She had expected to talk to High Command, maybe Admiral Hackett on Arcturus. She felt her throat tightening as she realised that things must be grave indeed.

The third holographic figure was a woman in an army combat uniform. She didn't seem to be paying attention as she was reading from a datapad and kept flicking her hair out of her face. Shepard saw what she was immediately; a spook.

"Yes Ambassador, but could we have expected any other outcome?" said deBankole, "The Council are very fond of pointing out the dangers of settling near the Terminus Systems."

"I'm not sure the geth are what they had in mind when they gave those warnings," added Dennison, "The threat is hardly only to humanity at this point, yet the Council's back is up because of the loss of both the beacon and a Spectre."

"Not to mention the fact that one of their own might have carried out the whole attack," said Udina, "We need to act."

"The Cabinet has been recalled and Parliament's recess cancelled for an emergency closed session," said Dennison, "We need to act, but we need to do so wisely. War is coming, and we cannot go to war unprepared."

"C-Sec are investigating our evidence against Saren," said Udina, his tone making it perfectly clear how useless he thought that to be.

"Were our positions reversed, I do not doubt that we would try the same delaying tactic," said deBankole, "Not to mention that our evidence is flimsy at best."

Anderson stepped forward, and coughed.

"Ah, Captain Anderson," said Udina, "I see you brought Shepard with you"  
>"In case the consuls had any questions," said the captain.<p>

"Indeed we do, Anderson," said deBankole, "Commander Shepard, it is truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance. You have served humanity well."

Dennison scoffed.

"If you call alienating our allies with brutal tactics to be service," she said, "Served humanity, deary me Alex, you really can be an ideologue sometimes."

"I did as I was ordered on Torfan, nothing more," replied Shepard.  
>"Of course, Commander," she said, "I didn't mean to insult <em>you<em>."

"I don't expect tact from an American," grinned deBankole, "So I am not offended."  
>Shepard was slightly shocked to hear the two leaders of her species bickering almost like children.<br>"And I don't expect common sense from a European," replied Dennison, "But we can insult each other later. Udina?"

"We have the mission reports you sent ahead," said Udina, putting the meeting back on course, "Can we assume they're accurate?"

"They are," replied Anderson, "Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience."

"They were not happy about it," stated Udina angrily, "Saren is their top agent, they don't like him being accused of treason."

"What they like is irrelevent," said Shepard, "He attacks a human colony, he dies."

"Our thoughts exactly, Commander," said deBankole, "The geth will have to be dealt with as well."

"Terra Firma are already calling publicly for the Strategic Deterrence fleet to be deployed to the Veil," said Dennison, "They want us to drop enough nukes on Rannoch and the other geth strongholds to send the synthetics 'back to the Stone Age' as they put it."

"Is that actually an option?" asked Anderson, raising an eyebrow.

The two consuls turned to their other companion, who finally raised her eyes off of her work.

"No, Captain, it is not an option," she said, "We have zero real intelligence about geth defences in the Veil because that's the only thing the quarians won't share with us under our existing agreements, not to mention getting into a war with the Migrant Fleet because we blew up their homeworld would be foolish in the extreme."

"I'm sorry, who are you?" asked Shepard as politely as she could.

"Karla Haider, Alliance Defence Intelligence Directorate," she said, smiling brightly, "Pleased to meet you, Angel of Death."

Shepard chuckled a bit. Her reputation followed her everywhere, but the tone of Haider's use of her more flattering nickname was not hostile in the slightest. She decided she liked the intel officer.

"Colonel Haider is the chief liason from the DID to our office," explained Dennison, "And she's very good at her job. We won't be going off on any crusades into the Perseus Veil any time soon if she says we can't do it."

"Any word on how all of this will affect Shepard's chances of becoming a Spectre?" asked Anderson, "We could use a political victory right about now."

"To be frank, I don't think we'll be seeing that happen any time soon," droned Udina, "Eden Prime was supposed to be a win-win for both ourselves and the Council. But instead, Nihlus is dead and the beacon is destroyed."

"That's Saren's fault, not Shepard's!" said Anderson loudly.

"Then we better hope C-Sec actually does its job, and turns up more evidence to support our accusations," scoffed Udina, "The chances are not good."

"In the mean time, we need to discuss the other issue here," said Dennison, "We kept the report about your visions out of the set we sent to the Council. For good reason."

"You believe me?" asked Shepard, taking her meaning.

Dennison again turned to Haider, and coughed to get the officer's attention. Haider held up a finger and did something with her datapad, before looking up from it once again.

"When we first informed the Council about our Prothean Archives facility on Mars, the asari inquired about how many people died or went mad in order to get it working. At the time and to this day, no one had or has died at the archives, and the question was strange enough for the DID to investigate. Apparently many Prothean data-troves operate much like the reports on the beacon on Eden Prime indicate. The computer interfaces directly with the mind of the person trying to access the information. On Mars, the archives work via a console containing a VI-like interface. We don't know why what we got was different, but we do know that other species have had to be careful when studying Prothean tech."

"So my visions could be information downloaded from the beacon?" asked Shepard.

"You're lucky to be alive and sane," said Haider, "If the beacon didn't explode, you would likely be dead. The beacons just weren't built for the brain physiology of any species alive today."

"I'm hoping that whatever it did, it gave you something useful, Commander," said deBankole, "Under no circumstances are you to inform the Council that you interfaced with the beacon. They are in no mood to believe us, and if we so much as hint at it when we accuse Saren, they will dismiss the whole affair out of hand."

"Ambassador, you are to decline any offers of military aid and are forbidden to request it from the Council," said Dennison, "It is extremely likely that Parliament will sign off on occupying the Traverse ourselves. That is in our interests, just as beating the batarians out of the Verge was."

"Won't that set off a war with the Terminus Systems?" asked Udina, "Are we at that point?"

"Eden Prime was sacred ground, ambassador, Earth and all the colonies are in uproar," said deBankole, "Humanity shall not shrink from conflict with barbarians or synthetics. An uneasy peace is often worse than war."

"And we're very good at war," added Haider, with a smile, "Less so with peace."

"True enough," replied Dennison, frowning.

After a final exchange of pleasantries, the transmission stopped. The holographic images fizzed out of sight and the audio cut out with a hum. Shepard turned to Udina.

"The Council will meet with us tomorrow," said Udina, "They want time to go over our reports in full, as well as to contact Saren so that he can hear the charges against him. Come on Anderson, we have a lot to organise before then."

"You're on R&R until then Shepard," said Anderson, "You could use some downtime after Eden Prime."

"Yes, sir," said Shepard, "Thank you."

* * *

><p><strong>Codex: Alliance Government<strong>

_Like most human democratic government, the Alliance is governed by an executive branch, a legislative branch, and a judicial branch. Unlike the asari republics, which rule by an all-inclusive e-democracy, humanity embraces representative democracy with referendums for matters of constitutional reform._

_The highest office in the Systems Alliance is the Consulate. Two consuls are in office at the same time, one female and one male. One consul acts as head of state, chief foreign affairs minister and head of the military. The other acts as the head of government, running the internal affairs of the Alliance. Both act as finance minister, though junior ministers assist in this role. Both consuls are elected by Parliament, to insure that the executive has the support of the legislature at all times. Consuls that lose the confidence of the Alliance Parliament must step down and call a general election. Together, the consuls select a cabinet of ministers to run the Alliance's government and civil service.  
><em>

_The Alliance Parliament is based on the old German and European federal model. It has two chambers, the Consilium and the Senate. The Senate is a directly elected body of 750 delegates from Earth and her colonies, and is the more powerful of the two chambers of Parliament. The Consilium (renamed from Council after first contact) is the direct representation of the governments of Earth and the colonies, insuring a strong voice for both the old states of the homeworld and for all but the smallest of colonies._

**Codex: Alliance Strategic Deterrence**

_With the end of the First Contact War, humanity was given access to the history of the galaxy, including that of the Rachni Wars and the Krogan Rebellions. The tales of worlds destroyed by weapons of mass destruction, deorbited moons and redirected asteroids shook the very core of Alliance military thinking. Once again, humanity turned to its own experience in order to counteract the possible destruction of its worlds._

_Within a year of the end of hostility with the turians, the Alliance Strategic Weapons Division had designed, constructed and tested a variety of nuclear, neutron and EMP superweaponry. As of 2183, a triad of options exist for delivery of such weapons; from FTL-capable bombers, stealthy missile frigates, or extreme range VI-directed cruise missiles capable of being launched through relays. _

_The doctrine for the use of such weapons is simple; if humanity is hit, it can and will hit back harder._

_This has allowed the Alliance military to remain at less than 3% of the human population, as both the military and political elite know they have a last resort to fall back on should they require it. Strategic bomber forces and missile frigates are stationed all over human space, particularly on the borders with the Batarian Hegemony and the Terminus Systems. _

_Missile frigates are named after famous last stands in human history, evoking the fact that if they are ever called to be used in anger then the situation is extremely grave._


	4. Chapter 3: Unrest and Recreation

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD:_

_I get the feeling I'm going to catch flak for the first part of this chapter for reasons you'll see soon enough, but it was such a hilariously ludicrous part of the game that I just had to add it in. With a new twist as a little adventure on R&R rather than any serious thing. I just hope people accept that humanity in 2183 has far less of a stick up its ass about the subject matter. It's nothing distasteful, but it still might earn me accusations that I'm 12 years old. Which I most certainly am not._

_Also kicking off a trend that every chapter will have a sort of social moment where Shepard gets to know people, because while I like writing about combat, it would get very boring very quickly considering just how much combat is coming up._

_Wrex, Tali and Garrus put in their appearances, with some difference in how they're treated, particularly Tali (which will continue). And the Alliance isn't the Council's lapdog, so that's different. _

_For OMAC001 who asked if there would be new 'party members', I have the concepts for some in my head and one already in the story; Karla Haider. Whether or not I go ahead and use them in that role, or as characters in some other role, I haven't decided yet. The crew of the Normandy compliment each other very well to begin with. I plan to write myself into the story in a minor role simply because that's how I avoid Mary Sue situations for OCs. Very Tarantino of me, I know, sue me._

_The next chapter is... glorious. It's already planned out, just need to write it up._

_Two codex entries for you at the bottom, enjoy the story!_

**Chapter Three: Unrest & Recreation**

Shepard woke up much as she had the day before. Her head pounding, lying on her stomach on a bed she didn't remember climbing into. To add insult to injury, her stomach felt like it was on fire and she was half-undressed underneath the blanket thrown around her. This time however, it was in her cot in the crew quarters on the Normandy rather than the medbay that she found herself in.

She fixed her clothes quickly, wondering how she got in that state. Reaching blindly for a bottle of water from the table beside her bunk, she knocked it over. Cursing, she pulled herself across the edge of the bed and picked it up. Lieutenant Alenko sat on the next cot over, staring at her.

"Rough night, Shepard?" he said, "You're quite fun when you drink."

Shepard winced as memories of what happened after she left Udina's office flooded back. She pushed strands of her red hair out of her face, and grabbed the water, draining it to slake her ungodly thirst.

"...We didn't?"

Kaidan burst out laughing.

"No, we didn't. And I hope I would have more to say to you than 'rough night' if we did," he said firmly, "The other stuff though..."

Shepard's brow furrowed at that. She just couldn't leave well enough alone and she drowned her worries in more ways than one. Hence, the massive hangover.

"I think only the infamous Commander Shepard could get into an adventure involving an elcor diplomat, the volus ambassador, a turian general, a sleazy bar and an asari 'consort' only an hour after arriving on the Citadel," Kaidan smiled, "And then proceed to get everyone stone drunk to forget all about it."

"Oh God, don't tell me, Chief Williams..." said Shepard, remembering the woman's presence the night before at some point. Thankfully not during the adventure for Sha'ira.

Kaidan thumbed over his shoulder, and Shepard bent sideways to see past him. Sure enough, Chief Williams was there, sleeping soundly. On the floor beside her bunk, still in her uniform, without so much as a peep of discomfort eminating from her.

"Ashley was there," said Kaidan, "But she's out for the count."

"Ugh, great," groaned Shepard, "There goes unit cohesion."

"We've bonded in ways that no other unit has before," Kaidan continued, "Like watching you and the Consort..."

"Just stop, tell me you didn't actually see that," said Shepard, putting one hand on her face to cover up her embarrassment, and holding the other up, "No more."

"Heard it," corrected Kaidan, "I have just one question, and we don't have to say a word about it again."

Shepard dropped her hand off her face, and frowned.

"I could just order you to shut up," said Shepard, "But what is it?"

"How was it?" asked Kaidan, "I mean, was it better than ... you know..."

Shepard's frown deepened. Why the hell did he want to know?

"It was intense," said Shepard quickly, "That's all I'm going to say."

Ashley groaned loudly, stopping Kaidan's response dead. The chief picked herself up off the ground, and looked around, finally stopping her eyes on Shepard.

"Nice floor, Ashley?" asked Shepard.

"Hmm, the best, ma'am," she replied, actually getting into her bed, "Weird night."

"I'm beginning to think it's a good thing we might die in a war soon," said Shepard, "Because I might never live this down."

"Look on the bright side," said Kaidan mockingly, "At least you improved relations for humanity at a critical point."

"You are a bad, bad man, Kaidan," she groaned, looking at her watch.

* * *

><p>The long ride to the Council's chambers was awkward. Three hungover soldiers who looked like they had been run around the block deliberately. It was silence the whole way up. "We're going to make quite the impression," thought Shepard as the doors of the lift opened, "But at least we have a good excuse."<p>

The corridor opened up before them, revealing staircases framed with sakura trees and a huge fountain.

The trio hurried up the first set of steps. They were already late, no small part due to their R&R activities and traffic on the Presidium. As they reached the level with the fountain, they almost ran smack into two very displeased looking turians.

"Saren's hiding something! Give me more time," said the turian in blue, "Stall them!"  
>"Stall the Council? Don't be ridiculous," said the white-faced one, "Your investigation is over, Garrus."<p>

The white faced one in the fancy suit turned away, and paced up to the next level.

Garrus glanced at Shepard, and she saw recognition enter his face. He walked over.

"Commander Shepard? Garrus Vakarian," he said, "I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren."  
>"Sounded like you really want to bring him down," said Shepard, "You weren't pulling any punches with ... whoever that was."<br>"That was the Executor," replied the turian, "As for Saren, I don't trust him. He's always been dirty, and something about him rubs me the wrong way. But he's a Spectre, everything he touches is classified. I can't find any hard evidence."

"I hope that didn't stop you finding something," said Kaidan, clearly hoping the man hadn't been shut down entirely.  
>"Nothing yet," said Garrus, "But I'm going to keep looking. Good luck, Commander."<p>

Shepard and the others sprinted past the turian, and up to the Council atrium. There seemed to be quite a crowd there, listening to the proceedings that had just started. Udina's face was on several viewscreens on the walls, but she couldn't make out what he was saying over the general chatter. Diplomats and officials of every Citadel species were crowded around the screens, listening.

Continuing on her way, and dodging a keeper, she made it to the Council level. Anderson was waiting for her there.

"The hearing has already started," he said, "Come on."

The captain lead her to the chamber proper. To her surprise, a giant hologram of a turian stood beside the Council. Shepard's face curled with anger. This was Saren.

The discussion finally became audible as they passed through a soundproofing field.

"The geth attack is a matter of some concern, but there is nothing to indicate that Saren was involved in any way," said the asari councillor, in a calm and measured tone.  
>"C-Sec found no evidence to support your charge of treason," added the turian representative.<p>

"What sort of investigation did you do in just a day?! An eyewitness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood!" said Udina with a growl, "It's enough to suspend this fanatic so a proper investigation can be launched."

"The testimony of one traumatised dockworker is hardly compelling proof," said the salarian councillor.

"It's enough for more than token measures," said Udina, his voice rising.

"I resent these accusations," said Saren, cool as could be, "Nihlus was a fellow Spectre and a friend."  
>"That just let you catch him off guard!" shouted Anderson.<p>

"Captain Anderson, why are you always there when humanity makes false charges against me?" asked Saren, "And this must be your protegé, the Butcher of Torfan, the one who let the beacon get destroyed."

"How do you know about the beacon?" asked Shepard, "It was a top secret operation, the only way you could have known was if you were there!"

"Nihlus' files passed to me on his death," said Saren, unperturbed by the point, "I read the Eden Prime report, you're not as impressive as you think you are. But what can you expect, from a human?"

"You hate us as a species, that's why you attacked Eden Prime!" said Shepard.

"Your species truly is arrogant, you should learn your place," Saren continued, "You're not ready to join the Council. You're not even ready to join the Spectres!"

"He has no right to say that! That's not his decision!" Udina roared, clutching the railings of the speakers rostra so hard his knuckles turned visibly whiter.

"Shepard's admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting," said the asari councillor.

"This meeting has no purpose," said Saren, "The humans are wasting your time and mine."

"I agree," said the turian councillor, "If there is not hard facts to back the speculation here, then we have no choice but to dismiss this charge."

"Do you have anything else to add, Commander Shepard," asked the salarian councillor.

"No, I will accept your judgment," said Shepard, as she was briefed to do. The thought of playing along with the council made her sick, but it was for the greater cause. "I'm not going to jeopardise humanity's future for the sake of scoring points."

"An enlightened view," replied the salarian approvingly, before he turned to the asari councillor.

"The Council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the geth. Ambassador, your petition to have him disbarred from the Spectres is denied," she said with finality.

"I'm glad to see justice was served," said Saren, before his hologram blinked off. Shepard grinded her teeth, and vowed to plug the turian with as many holes as possible.

"We accept your learned judgment," said Udina, with a tone of sadness clearly evident in his voice.

"This meeting is adjourned."

* * *

><p>Back in the atrium waiting room, the ambassador gathered the others. Shepard sat down, not believing just how badly the hearing had gone. She sincerely hoped the salarian councillor was shot and the only witness was a dockworker. She was willing to bet a year's pay that would change the Council's mind about witness evidence. She became tempted to arrange it personally, when Udina coughed to get everyone's attention.<p>

"It was a mistake to bring you in there, Anderson," mused Udina, "You have a history with Saren and it made them question the credibility of our evidence."

"I know Saren, he's working with the geth for one reason," said Anderson, "The extermination of the human race. The Council needed to hear what we had. All of it."

"What history?" asked Kaidan, "With Saren, I mean."

Anderson glanced at Udina, looking for some reaction. The ambassador nodded slightly.

"A few years back, I went on a mission with that turian bastard. It went bad, real bad," Anderson said, his tone becoming harder, "But I know him. If he's out to destroy us, even Earth isn't safe."

"What do we do now?" asked Shepard, "Hunker down for war?"

"We hunt Saren regardless of what the Council thinks," said Udina, "That's why we made a show of accepting the Council's decision, so they give us the breathing space to actually pull it off."

"We can't sit by as he plays with his geth on our colonies, killing our citizens. The Cabinet is meeting as we speak, and Parliament meets tomorrow. It'll be all-out war then, whether the Council likes it or not," added Anderson.

"I'm as angry as anyone else, but can't we just get Saren?" said Ashley, "Won't that stop the attacks?"

"We are beyond that point now," said Anderson, as Udina fiddled with his omnitool, "We just need to pray that we find evidence of his treason after we find him."

The ambassador started playing a video, holding his arm up so the rest could see it properly. A large crowd was gathered, seemingly in New York outside the old UN building, now the American seat of the Alliance Parliament. It was a huge protest, stretching for blocks upon blocks. All the signs read 'WAR'. They appeared to be chanting. The image then changed, and it was the icy streets of Berlin this time, winter's firm grip on that city not preventing seemingly millions from demonstrating on the streets.

"The truth is that no one can stop the war now," said Udina, closing the video, "And no one wants to. I've known Alexander deBankole my whole life. He's a veteran of the Cold War, he saw atrocities and that war was won only with a complete victory. The only thing he'll accept is a complete victory, and he's far from alone."

"I'm sure Dennison is rubbing her hands at securing the Traverse for humanity as well," added Anderson, "She is a big fan of those asari colonies out in the Terminus where almost anything goes. She's an expansionist and always has been."

"So, we find Saren to cut the head off the snake," said Shepard, "But how do we find him?"

Udina's omnitool buzzed, and he groaned at the interruption.

"What is it, Silus!" he said, answering the call.

"Priority message for you, sir," said the assistant.

* * *

><p>Shepard, Ashley and Kaidan were crowded into the skycar as Joker flew it full speed down the wards, dancing the flyer between skyscrapers and oncoming traffic. An intense look of concentration on his face, the flight lieutenant looked like he was enjoying himself. Shepard wasn't disliking it either. She tried and failed to remove the smile from her face as they caused a barrage of hornblows from other skycars at a junction. The two Army jocks in the back seat however were not please.<p>

"Hey Joker, is this punishment for my doubts about Eden Prime, or are you trying to kill us?" asked Kaidan, holding on for dear life.

"Yeah Joker, take it easy," Ashley said, her voice wavering as the car flew past a huge cargo hauler, missing it by inches, "We won't be able to do the job if we're splattered against the windshield of a shuttle."

"Have a little faith," said Joker, tapping an altitude control, "Udina said we needed to get there ASAP."

The ambassador had indeed stressed that time was of the essence. His assistant had patched him through to Haider, who had some very interesting intelligence to share. Dr. Chloe Michel, a doctor on Zakera Ward and contact for the DID there, had received a very interesting visitor. A young quarian had burst into her clinic with a gunshot wound, running a fever and begging for help. Dr. Michel healed her, and she had revealed three things.

First of all, she had intelligence on Saren, secondly, what her name was, and lastly, that she was being hunted by a dangerous group of armed killers.

The first piece of information managed to get Udina to smile, to the surprise of everyone else. The quarian's name sent him into his own thoughts for a moment, as if it meant something to him. Her injury and the fact she was being hunted down sent him into something like a panic. He reacted quickly, ordering Anderson to get a driver or a pilot to the base of the tower as quickly as possible.

Udina had given very specific instructions. The quarian was to be protected at all costs, and brought to the human embassy for debriefing. The use of lethal force was authorised. Time would be short, as if thugs were after the quarian, they were being sent by Saren.

They had all rushed back down to the lift, and Joker was waiting in a suspiciously expensive skycar as soon as they stepped out onto the commons. And so began the near-death experience of a journey to the wards.

"We're here!" said Joker, putting the vehicle into a tailspin as it fell towards a parking spot, before giving the throttle a nudge, setting it down perfectly. Ashley and Kaidan looked like they were about to kill Joker for that last move, as the party bailed out of the doors.

"You better get out of here," said Shepard, banging the hood, "Things could get ugly."

"Don't kill too many of them," said Joker, sarcasm dripping from his voice, "And don't tread blood into the Normandy when you get back. I'm not scrubbing it out." Shepard just grinned back at him.  
>"No promises," she replied.<p>

The skycar took off again, with similar breakneck speed and agility.

"Alright, act casual while we scope this place out," the Commander ordered, checking her pistol before holstering it again, "We don't want C-Sec to get in the way."

"Yes, ma'am," said Ashley.

The crew wandered quickly but quietly through the upper ward's main arcade. Huge windows allowed watchers to see the other wards. The Destiny Ascension was passing by, and crowds of people were sat by the glass, watching it as they chatted and drank hot drinks from vendors that plied the walkways. Unlike their arrival from Eden Prime, neither Shepard nor her crew were paying attention to the sights now. The Commander scanned the approach to the clinic, which was well signposted.

The crowd parted for a moment, and she spotted Officer Vakarian. He was on his omnitool near the door of the clinic.

"Hey, it's that turian C-Sec guy," said Ashley quietly, "What's he doing?"

Garrus flicked off his omnitool, and very non-chalantly palmed his sidearm. Shepard rushed towards him, avoiding bumping into pedestrians. She got there in time, just before he was about to open the door, getting a hand to his shoulder. He spun around and aimed at the Commander with alarming speed.

"We're on the same side," she said, as recognition once again became visible on his face.

"Not wise to jump me like that," said Garrus, now amused as he pointed his pistol away from Shepard's face, "I almost shot you there."

"That wouldn't have ended well for you," smirked Shepard, thumbing over her shoulder to her crewmates, "You were about to go into the clinic, I couldn't let you do that."

"My friend runs the place, and she asked that I come down to protect someone very important with information on Saren," Garrus replied, "She set off a silent alarm a few minutes ago, you better have a damn good reason for stopping me."

"Silent alarm?" said Shepard, "Damn, they're already here!"

"We need to get in there," said Kaidan, as he and Ashley moved to opposite sides of the doorway.

"We could sneak in, take out the leader and surprise the rest?" said Garrus, copying the humans.

"Or we could do it our way," said Shepard quickly, as she activated her omnitool's minifacturer.

* * *

><p>The door blew off its hinges, the micro-explosives that Shepard had made first breaking the frame and then sending the door itself flying to the floor. Shepard and Garrus were first inside.<p>

Various humans were about the room, and they seemed unusually heavily armed for mere thugs. Poorly armoured though. Shepard began firing on the nearest immediately, and he fell instantly, trying to duck behind the clinic's counter but not quite making it.

Garrus dropped one himself with a single shot from his pistol, barely missing a woman in a white labcoat that Shepard assumed was Dr. Michel. It was some shot, and Shepard couldn't help but be impressed as the rest of the thugs took cover behind everything and anything.

Kaidan and Ashley now came in. The lieutenant immediately went with his biotics, lifting a heavy desk clean off the floor and tossing it at the mooks hiding further back. The two who had been hiding behind it were shot to pieces by Ashley, who had set her rifle to overkill and riddled the unfortunate men with every sign of enthusiasm.

Garrus pulled Dr. Michel away, as the three humans now advanced together. The thugs refused to give up, and made a final charge. They roared obscenities and shot wildly, but hit nothing. Kaidan sent them spinning in the air in a singularity. Ashley and Shepard then opened fire, and the men dropped to the ground dead with an audible splat.

"They fought to the death," breathed Ashley, "They weren't soldiers, but they fought to the death."

"Why?" thought Kaidan aloud, speaking for everyone.

Garrus now emerged with Dr. Michel, who looked considerably shaken but thankful to be alive.

"That went textbook," said Garrus, clearly happy, "Even got a clear shot at that bastard over there."

"Noticed that, very good shooting," said Shepard, nodding her approval.

"Sometimes you get lucky," said Garrus with some false modesty, "Dr. Michel, are you hurt?"

"No, I'm okay," said Michel, "Thanks to you."

"Dr. Michel, I'm Commander Shepard with the Alliance Navy, and this is Lieutenant Alenko and Chief Williams," said Shepard, "We're here on the orders of the human ambassador to bring the quarian to our embassy. Where is she?"

"When the thugs came in, I hit the silent alarm," said Michel, "I had added her to the contacts to alert so she could escape if anyone came in to find her. She probably ran out of the delivery door."

Michel pointed to the back of the clinic.

"Damn it!" said Shepard, "Alenko, Williams, stay here and protect the Doc. Vakarian, you're with me!"

Shepard ran to the storage room with Garrus, and opened the delivery bay door.

It opened out onto a balcony large enough for a skycar, overlooking an alley. Various crates and boxes were stacked around, but nothing big enough to hide behind. Shepard creeped to the edge, and ran her eyes up and down the space below for any signs of the quarian.

She found the woman, standing in the alley some distance away. In front of her, a large turian and several salarians were blocking both ways out. All of them were in some pretty decent armour, and were well armed. The turian seemed to be in a C-Sec uniform.

"You know the one talking to her?" Shepard asked Garrus. As he looked, she opened her sniper rifle and set its barrel down on the railing with a ping.

"He's definitely not C-Sec," replied Garrus, eyeing the rifle now, "The uniform is fake, and those salarians aren't wearing anything we use."

"Good," said Shepard, taking aim. She set her scope onto the turian below, as he was touching the quarian's side in perverted manner. Just as she was about to blow his head off and feel very good about it, the quarian reacted. She hit the turian in the gut, and tossed something over her shoulder before diving behind a dumpster. It had been a grenade, and the salarians behind her caught the full blast of it, collapsing to the ground bleeding as their comrades began firing at the quarian.

"She's far from helpless," remarked Garrus, and Shepard fired her first shot. A salarian who had been sneaking up on the quarian from behind dropped to the ground, the back of his head now conspicuously missing. The quarian for her part didn't even notice, as she was too busy fending off the mob on the other side with a pistol and her omnitool.

Garrus had by now retrieved his own rifle, and Shepard watched him shoot a running salarian in the knee and followed up with a headshot. That put the rest of them into cover, as they realised that someone with high-powered rifles had a bead on them. The quarian's mask also turned upwards, as she wondered who was helping her.

As Shepard bounced another round off a turian's head, a huge figure emerged from behind where the target had been hiding.

"Spirits, they have a krogan!" said Garrus, as the behemoth of a specimen charged into the battle. Shepard was about to put a shot into the red-armoured beserker when the target in question slammed into the turian who had been leading the enemy group, tossing him to the ground.

With a roar, the man pulled out a shotgun and blew it into the downed turian's face, before doing the same to a salarian who moved to intervene.

"We need to get down there!" said Shepard, stowing her rifle and hopping over the edge to the ground. She landed hard and loudly, the thud of the metal drawing the attention of both the remaining salarians and the quarian.

"Alliance Navy! Surrender!" she said, wanting to drag the salarians back to the DID for interrogation. The aliens responded by firing at her, an insult she returned with pleasure. Garrus dropped down as well, and together they moved on the last two of the attackers. They got there too late. The krogan burst through the boxes, backhanding one of them to the ground and picking up the other. With a rather casual throw, the last salarian was neutralised against the alley wall.

Shepard and Garrus approached the krogan cautiously as the quarian stood up, looking at all three of them.

"...Um, are you going to kill me?" asked the quarian. Shepard had been concentrating on the krogan, but glanced at her now. She seemed somewhere between scared and confused, as her pistol was half-raised.

"No, I'm here to protect you," growled the krogan, "Not sure about these pyjaks though."

"Wrex, we're here for the quarian as well," said Garrus, "Though why you care, I don't know."

"Contract work," said the krogan, relaxing now and putting his shotgun away, "Didn't recognise you there Vakarian, but then all you turians look alike to me."

Shepard breathed easier, and turned to the quarian. "Were you hurt in the fight?" she asked.

"I know how to look after myself. Not that I don't appreciate the help," said the quarian, "Who are you?"

"Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy," said Shepard, "We were told you have vital information on Saren?"

"Yes, I went to Dr. Michel's clinic because I was told it was an Alliance safehouse when I left the flotilla. If you're in trouble on the Citadel, get to Michel's they said, something to do with an Alliance treaty with the fleet," the quarian explained, "I guess I get to repay you for saving my life. But not here, we need to go somewhere safe."

"We have orders to take you to the human embassy," said Shepard.

"As long as I can come along," growled Wrex, "I can't let the quarian out of my sight under she's delivered the information to you humans."

"Why? Who hired you?" asked Garrus.

"The Shadow Broker," said Wrex, scratching his headplate, "Saren backstabbed him and now the Broker is out for payback. Stupid, but then arrogance always was the downfall of you turians."

"I think we've all had enough of this alley," said Shepard, ignoring the krogan's remark, "Let's move."

"Agreed," said the quarian.

* * *

><p>Getting back into the embassy was bothersome, as Shepard had to explain what a turian C-Sec officer and a krogan mercenary were doing with her. On a mission of grave importance and the highest secrecy no less. Shepard countered that they had helped get the quarian here safely, and that having their VIP hanging around outside the embassy was idiocy in the extreme. The security detail looked very sheepish as the group was allowed inside, to Shepard's delight.<p>

The Commander lead her mixed band and the quarian into Udina's office. The ambassador was talking to Colonel Haider when they walked in. He turned around immediately upon hearing them.

"Shepard, you're not making my life easy. Involving a C-Sec officer in an Alliance military operation? And a krogan mercenary? The consuls are going to have my hide for this," he said, "But at least you achieved the objective."

"Officer Vakarian was investigating Saren and refused to stop after he was ordered to, as well as being an excellent marksman," said Shepard, finding herself unable to resist defending the man, "He's on our side."

"And as for me, it's my job to make sure you got the information this quarian has," said Wrex with a grumble, "So you can whinge about it all you want, but I get the job done."

Udina eyed the krogan for a moment, before moving to the quarian.

"On behalf of the Systems Alliance, it is good to see you are safe, Miss Zorah," he said to her, offering his hand.

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," she said, shaking it awkwardly.

"We don't see too many daughters of members of the quarian Admiralty Board around here," said Udina, "Why did you leave the flotilla?"

"I was on my Pilgrimage, my rite of passage into adulthood," said Tali, "Even an admiral's daughter must prove that we will contribute to our community, we don't have the resources to permit wasting them."

Shepard wondered why Udina had refrained from telling her that the mission was to rescue a quarian princess. She shifted her weight on her hips as she looked at the man with annoyance. He took 'need-to-know' a little too seriously. She was just glad she had been friendly to Tali before, causing a diplomatic incident with the one race that would be glad to see war against the geth would have been embarrassing in the extreme.

"We understand you have information for us?" asked Haider via the commlink, "Information on Saren. Would you care to explain what sort of information?"

"I retrieved it from a geth platform I disabled on my travels," Tali said, "I was curious as to why one would be so far from the Veil, they haven't been seen outside it for two hundred years. I managed to grab the information from its memory core."

"That must have been difficult," said Haider, frowning, "The geth fry their memory cores as a defence mechanism when they're disabled or destroyed." Shepard smirked. Haider was annoyed that the quarians had discovered a way to get intel from geth and her tech people hadn't.

"My people created the geth," said Tali, "As long as you're quick and lucky, small amounts of data can be saved. Most of the core was wiped clean, but I salvaged something from the databanks."

"The location of his base? His operational plans?" asked Haider, excitedly.

"Maybe something more useful," as Tali tapped her omnitool.

"Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit," said the recording. Shepard recognised the voice. It was Saren.

"..This is proof that Saren was involved in the attack on Eden Prime!" said Haider, "We can use this to expose him, not to mention defuse any attempt by the Council to stop the war!"

"He's looking for something called the 'Conduit'," said Shepard, thinking it over, "What's that?"

"If Saren is looking for it, it's probably Prothean technology of some kind," said Haider, "If his objective is to destroy humanity, it could be some means to either destroy or bypass our defences."

"Wait, there's more," interrupted Tali, "Saren wasn't working alone."

The recording of Saren repeated. "And one step closer to the return of the Reapers," added a female voice at the end.

"I don't recognise the second speaker, the one talking about Reapers," said Udina, bringing his hand up to his jaw.

"Reapers... That sounds familiar," said Shepard, not sure where she had heard the name from.

"According to the memory core, the Reapers were a machine race that existed 50,000 years ago. The Reapers hunted the Protheans to extinction, and then they vanished. At least, that's what the geth believe." Tali waited for the reaction.

"Sounds a little far-fetched," said Udina, frowning.

"My vision from the beacon... I understand it now," said Shepard, rubbing her head as she remembered the images, "I saw the Protheans being wiped out by the Reapers."

"The geth revere the Reapers as gods, the pinnacle of non-organic life," said Tali, "And they believe Saren knows how to bring the Reapers back."

"Then we are very lucky," said Haider, "If we strike the geth now, before these Reapers come back, we have a fighting chance to stop them coming back at all."

"The Council is going to love this..." muttered Udina.

"We don't have to say we believe that the Reapers are real," said Shepard, "The Council doesn't even know about my vision, just give them the recording and they'll let us chase Saren."

"Hmm, that might work," said Udina, "Either way, I need to present this to the Council right away."

"What about her, the quarian?" asked Wrex, reminding Udina that the krogan was actually still in the room. The ambassador jerked back slightly as he realised it.

"My name is Tali!" she said loudly, "You saw me in action, Commander. You know what I can do. Let me come with you, if the geth are attacking, I want to help."

Shepard thought about it. In truth, she knew very little about the geth. The first time humanity had ever fought them was on Eden Prime. The mission could use an expert on the synthetics, not to mention another engineer. It was just an added bonus that Tali was capable of plenty of destruction in her own right.

"Alright, welcome aboard," said Shepard, shaking her hand, "You were pretty good back in that alley, and I'll take all the help I can get."

"Thanks, you won't regret this," said Tali cheerily, moving to stand beside Shepard. The Commander smiled. The quarian's enthusiasm was very endearing.

"I'll go talk to the Council," said Udina, "Haider, pass on the information to the consuls and Alliance High Command."

"It'll be my pleasure," said Haider, her German accent leaking through more than usual due to her excitement, "We've just got the political trumpcard we need to proceed with war." The hologram blinked off, and Udina turned to Shepard once again.

"Shepard, you're to return to the Normandy and take command," said Udina finally, "Anderson's been promoted to Group Captain in preparation for hostilities, he'll be in operational command over the 63rd Scout Flotilla for the coming conflict."

"I'm honoured, but shouldn't Anderson be leading the charge against Saren?" said Shepard, not wanting to deny her now-former Captain the chance to take down his enemy.

"High Command doesn't want skeletons leaping from closets," said Udina, "Besides, I might still be able to tease Spectre status for you from the Council, once I present Miss Zorah's evidence. If that happens, you'll need a ship, and the Normandy is perfect for the job."

Udina left, edging past Wrex who refused to move for him.

"I presume you two are coming along as well?" Shepard asked the krogan and Garrus.

"Well, I've probably been fired from C-Sec," said Garrus sheepishly, "They won't be happy when they find out I continued investigating Saren."

"And the Shadow Broker will want me along to insure Saren eats my shotgun," said Wrex.

"Then let's get to the Normandy," said Shepard, "My headache meds are wearing off, and I need to get more."

* * *

><p><strong>Codex: Human Military Innovations<strong>

_The arrival of humanity to the galactic scene caused a revolution in military thinking. As a species with a long history of conflict right up until first contact, humanity's thought processes were heavily influenced by their own history and by science fiction. Concepts other species would not have dreamed of were thought up long ago, before technology existed to make such ideas a reality._

_Naval innovations such as carriers, Extremely Advanced Long Range Torpedoes (EXALT), kinetic burst missiles, frigate wolfpacks and direct suborbital deployment of ground forces were developed before first contact. Ground forces innovations such as the use of assault walkers and close support artillery were even more shocking to the galactic community, as turian and batarian forces completely collapsed before human forces in First Contact War and Skyllian Blitz respectively. _

_Both humanity and the rest of the galaxy has been adapting to the new state of affairs with vigour. The Citadel species have begun to build carriers of their own, have built copycat versions of most new human space-based weapons, and have started to develop countermeasures to humanity's more devastating innovations in munitions via cyclonic barrier technology and hyper-hardened armour. The Alliance has responded with parallel research into disrupting the ability of opponents to reliably detect human ships through heat and LADAR sensors, as well as developing a range of decoy capabilities. _

**Codex: Alliance Carriers**

_Humanity's fleets are based around carriers. Human carriers are true behemoths, with retractable flight decks, batteries of cruiser-class mass accelerators along their backs, as well as shields and armour plating equal or even beyond those of a dreadnought._

_Carriers are the core of the main fleets, and are always escorted by flotillas of cruisers and wolfpacks of frigates. The other council races have begun similar building programmes in response, but have not taken to the new class of ship with the same enthusiasm, as military tradition and lack of experience with such ships remain obstacles. _

_Human carriers are named for goddesses of war, sovereignty, victory and/or wisdom. There are twenty one fleet carriers in service with the Alliance Navy as of 2183, divided between the five fleets : _

_**Macha Class:** Macha, Minerva, Amaterasu, Pahket, Otrera_

**_Niké Class:_**_ Niké, Athena, Nemain, Pele, Kali, Ishtar, Freya, Bellona, Victoria, Astarte, Morrigan, Andarta, Hera, Juno, Neith, Valkyria_


	5. Chapter 4: Bella Detesta Matribus

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD:_

_Got a couple of complaints that this is "European Union Fuck Yeah" not Humanity, or that the US is under-represented. For those that have played Battlefield 2142, you'll be aware that the US isn't even in the game, which is the reason why the US doesn't have a lot of fluff in the backstory of this universe. But, it's a fair enough complaint and I'll add some more stuff for the US to the prologue, and the main story, when I have some time. Most of the readership is American, and I'd like to assure all of you that it wasn't out of some desire to belittle your country._

_The story has a shiny new cover-image based on a couple of propaganda posters I whipped up on a whim, the links to which are on my profile if people are interested in seeing the big versions of them. More of those to come as well.  
><em>

_As for this chapter, I'll let it speak for itself._

_Enjoy._

**Chapter Four: Bella Detesta Matribus**

Alexander deBankole paced the antechamber of the Systems Alliance Parliament. The entire Systems Alliance would soon hear his speech, and quite possibly all of civilised galactic society. It was to be broadcast to all corners of humanity's territories, the skies of Earth and the colonies were to be lit up with his image, as he spoke the words that billions upon billions had been waiting and demanding to hear. Non-human opinion would also be defined by what he said, putting the whole outcome of the undertaking he was about to start on the betting table of fortune.

He felt the eyes of Alice Dennison on him keenly as he walked around the space, the noise of the senators and ministers taking their seats and chatting amongst themselves leaking into the room.

He was not nervous. He was impatient. For three days, the government had said nothing. For three days, humanity screamed for vengeance. Alexander's very soul had screamed for it at every waking hour.

He had been eighteen when he volunteered for service in the Cold War. That had been a dirty war, a total war, a war where there could be only one victor. Alexander felt in his heart that this would be another such war. He hated that, as only the ignorant wanted war, but the other option was far beyond mere political subjugation.

His mind went over the speech again and again.

"Alexander, could you stop?" said Alice, who was sitting calmly on a couch, "The floor only has so much tile and concrete before you'll drop through to the one below, and pacing isn't going to move things along any faster."

"They're taking far too long!" he said loudly, "We were ready to do this days ago."

"If we had moved days ago, we would have had to deal with an embargo from the Citadel and we might have lost the vote," said Alice flatly, "Now, we have all the leverage we need and a worthy cause."

Alexander stopped pacing and sat down beside his counterpart, head thrown back to look at the ceiling as he massaged his forehead.

"Damn the geth and that turian traitor," he muttered, "I wanted to bring prosperity, not war."

"Let he who desires peace, prepare for war," quoted Alice, "If anyone is to blame, it is the Council. They sat back and let the geth live on for three hundred years. This was always going to happen, to someone somewhere. And if what we've learned about these Reapers is correct, that is even more true."

Alexander straighted up, putting his hands on his lap and staring at the door in front of him.

"May history forgive us," he said.

"History will do more than forgive us," said Alice, "We'll be immortal for this."

She kissed him on the cheek. He turned, and kissed her on the lips. A moment's glance into each other's eyes, and they turned away from each other. The noise of multiple footsteps approached from outside, and the pair stood up. The doors opened.

"It's time, consuls," said the ceremonial guard, his rifle in his hands.

The leaders of humanity were escorted to the grand chamber, a huge hemicycle. Blue carpet, white marble and hundreds of seats were obscured behind hundreds of people and hundreds of floating news cameras. The majority of the faces were human, but the journalist section contained at least one representative of each Citadel species. There were many asari and a single krogan, who stood out like a sore thumb even to Alexander. He resisted an insane urge to laugh at the huge alien's presence, an urge rooted in the fear that he was looking at the future of his own species: debilitated and left to die the slow way, to extinction.

Alexander climbed the podium, as Alice sat down on her seat. The part of starting any war was that of the consul 'of the sword', the consul responsible for foreign affairs, colonial relations and military operations. If and when the day of peace came again, it would be Alice who would stand on the podium to announce it, as the consul 'of the wreath'. Alexander swore to himself that he would see it.

He stood at the podium alone, as all chatter died down. He looked at the crowd and the cameras for a moment. All were in awe of the moment. He began to speak.

"_My fellow citizens, co-consul, senators, honoured guests. It is with a profound sadness that I address you here this morning. _

_Three days ago, an incident occurred that will be forever remembered in horror and disgust. The Systems Alliance was suddenly and viciously attacked, by a force of geth, on the colony world of Eden Prime. I regret to inform you that a great many lives have been lost. The vast majority of the casualties have been civilians, who were brutally murdered in ways that should by now be well known to all. In the time between this attack and the present, reports of geth attacks have come from all corners of the Attican Traverse. Alliance trade and passenger ships have been reported attacked in space. Alliance outposts have been reported destroyed and captured. Alliance colonies now live under the constant possibility of annihilation._

_The implications for humanity's continued liberty and survival are profound. For three hundred years, the Citadel Council has carried out a policy to contain the geth, within the Perseus Veil, by prohibiting travel in the region and by agreements with the quarian fleet to avoid provoking the synthetics into aggression. That policy has failed. _

_Regardless of the determination of our allies and friends on this change of circumstance, humanity's obligation is clear. We shall not sit back and allow ourselves to be murdered, in the most heinous fashions that can be imagined._

_There is only one option against an unprovoked attack against our colonies. There is only one response to the butchery of our children by an invader. There is only one necessity against an enemy that wishes our annihilation. Only the sword can redeem us._

_Regardless of how long it will take for us to overcome our enemy, I have absolute faith that the human species will be victorious. Nothing short of an absolute victory will deliver our desire for a lasting peace. The geth shall find no respite or place of safety in this galaxy. We humans are no strangers to war. In every generation since the dawn of our history, we have taken up arms. Now, we must do so once again in the cause of the entire galaxy._

_There are some who say that artificial intelligence cannot know fear. To that, I can only say this: we shall do our utmost to provide the geth with an education in the subject, or perish in the attempt. Synthetic or not, the geth are sapient beings. They have some awareness of the scale of the atrocities they have committed. We shall bend them to our will or destroy them utterly. Any other outcome means the extinction of the children of Earth. _

_We must pledge our lives, and the lives of our brave soldiers, to the cause of humanity's liberty, her survival, and her exaltation among the stars. I humbly ask Parliament, as co-consul of the Systems Alliance, the leader of its fleets and armies, to declare that a state of war now exists and provide for all necessary resources to end this threat for now, and for all time._"

Alexander folded the piece of paper he had written the speech on, as the chamber erupted with applause and he was blinded for a moment by the flashes of cameras.

The humans had stood and were clapping their hands raw. The aliens also got on their feet, but their faces were mostly just stunned. They had expected a military action, but clearly a real war had not been predicted. The krogan growled his approval, smacking his two arms together in a display.

A few of the asari were clapping and crying as hard as the humans.

For some reason, Alexander found himself powerfully fortified by this sight in particular. Were they widows of long-dead quarians? Friends of the dead of Eden Prime? Or just lovers of humanity or humans?

As he descended from the podium and shook Alice's hand for the journalists' benefit, he smiled warmly. Perhaps humanity was not alone after all.

* * *

><p>Group Captain Hannah Shepard sat on the CIC of the Alliance carrier Athena, uncomfortable in her chair. They had been parked in orbit of the Citadel for hours now, waiting for orders. Hannah had been promoted twice in as many days, from executive officer to captain and then to group captain as her direct superiors were themselves promoted. High Command was infusing fresh blood into the ranks and cutting out the dead wood, and six hours ago, the entire crew had learned why. The Alliance's response to the geth was not going to be a series of quick interventions like the Verge Conflict had been. It was going to be total war.<p>

Hannah pondered why High Command and the politicians would risk the entire species when a police action might have worked. The reports on geth numbers didn't suggest a total deployment of their forces. Whatever the reason, it was way above her paygrade, and she had no desire to know if it could shatter decades of hesitation to defy the Citadel.

An alarm sounded loudly, and blinking red lights started.

"GC, emergency action message!" said the comms officer.

"Report, Katya," said Hannah, sitting up in her seat.

"Message reads; _Athena Expeditionary Group from Space Command Terra.  
>Enemy forces invading the mining colony world of Therum.<br>Proceed to Knossos System, Artemis Tau cluster.  
>Engage any and all enemy forces present.<br>Evacuate civilians and secure Prothean digsites.  
>Rendezvous with SSV Normandy in-system and render assistance to N7 mission on surface.<em>"

When Hannah heard the word 'Normandy', she frowned. Being in a military operation with one's own daughter did not seem like a good way to start a war. The possibility of listening to or even seeing your own child die wasn't an opportunity she had ever intended to meet. She reflected that it was perhaps her own fault, raising her daughter on-board navy ships for the girl's entire childhood. Jane had signed up the day she was legally able to.

"Is the message authentic?" asked Hannah, putting her doubts aside.

"It is," said XO Corrigan, "Orders, ma'am?"

"Inform all ships, proceed to the Artemis Tau cluster, at best possible speed," Hannah boomed, "Relay our orders to all captains and commanders, and give the Army all the information we have on Therum."

The XO and comms officer saluted and began to carry out the orders.

The honour of the first retaliation would go to a Shepard.

* * *

><p>The Athena arrived over Therum, with its attack group beside it. It had been a day's journey or so from the mass relay, and in that time, all preparations had been made. The fleet's ships had been readied for combat, and the crews rested. The soldiers had checked and double-checked their weapons. Some were veterans of the Skyllian Blitz and operations against pirates. Others were raw recruits.<p>

Hannah examined the environment overlay, as the ship's sensors scanned the orbital approaches. A group of icons soon appeared on the hologram, glowing an angry yellow.

"Contact, unknown vessels," reported a sensory officer, "Heat blooms indicate three cruisers, a dozen destroyers, a dozen dropships."

"The geth," hissed Hannah, "Turn the ship's broadside towards them. Prep firing solutions, launch fighters and inform our escorts to form up for an enveloping attack. Get the Army planetside now as well."

"Aye, captain!" said Corrigan, who repeated the orders.

The carrier swung in orbit, its prow turning from the geth and facing away from the planet. The ship then rolled over, giving its starboard array of cannons a clear shot at the enemy. The escorting cruisers and shoals of frigates moved as well, encircling the Athena in a protective ring of ships. The fighter launch doors opened, and the fighters squadrons, who took up position in front and awaited their orders. Shuttles carrying troops, walkers and armoured vehicles began to stream out of the planetary assault transports towards the fiery red ball that was the planet itself.

"We have them nicely outgunned," remarked Hannah, watching the LADAR reports come in.

"The geth dropships are descending into the atmosphere," the XO reported, "The cruisers are moving to intercept us."

"Keep the guns on them, but hold fire until my command," said Hannah, watching the enemy split into two groups, "Open a channel."

"Ma'am?" asked the comms officer, confused as to the purpose of such an order.

"General Order No.1 dictates a transmitted warning against any hostile force that has yet to attack if it can be overwhelmed," Hannah explained, "Geth or not, I intend to follow orders and I expect you to do the same."

"Yes ma'am, my apologies," the officer said with haste, tapping her haptic interface, "Comms are open."

"Attention geth flotilla. This is Captain Hannah Shepard of the SSV Athena. As of January 21st 2183 CE, a state of war between the Systems Alliance and the geth collective has existed. If you do not surrender your troops and vessels to the custody of my fleet immediately, I shall annihilate you. Surrender and you will not be killed or mistreated."

The geth cruisers and destroyers began turning to fire their main batteries, the shots from their broadside weapons rippling across the space between the fleets and impacting the barriers of the Athena.

"That's definitely a no," muttered Hannah, wincing as another wave of shots lanced into the barriers.

"We're taking hits!" reported the XO, "The enemy cruisers moving to concentrate their fire on us!"

"All ships, weapons free," ordered Hannah, holding onto a console as the deck shuddered from the repeated impacts, "Load forward launchers for salvo fire, orient us diagonally so there's less to shoot at!"

Hannah watched the holographic representations of her ships firing, as the broadside shots from the Athena shook the crew with every discharge. Her cruisers were battering the enemy, but they were deploying countermeasures and decoy targets now. It was getting increasingly hard to target the geth, particularly at long range.

The geth had ceased firing on her carrier. A result of their own defensive tactics, as their target jamming obscured the Athena from their point of view just as much as the opposite was the case. The geth began to fire at the _Belfast_, the cruiser on the extreme flank of the Alliance formation.

The frigates were moving into range now in tandem with the fighter wings. The interface indicated the geth had followed up with a similar action. The damned machines were smart, thought Hannah, the frigates won't be able to get a clear shot with their torpedoes if there was a fighter duel in the way. The metal bastards were going to get away.

"Helm, bring the bow about to put ourselves in front of them," the Captain ordered, "Inform _Tokyo, San Diego_ and _Brisbane_ to form up on us, we're going in. Get the fighters aboard again as well."

"This is the XO, all wings, fall back to Athena," said the XO into her mouthpiece, causing the swarm on the monitors to begin moving towards the carrier, chased by the geth. The Alliance frigate captains responded exactly as they should have, using the fighters as bait to bracket the geth ones and shredding the enemy formation. Hannah hummed her satisfaction at this, but noticed that didn't matter, their purpose had been served, the geth were turning to escape.

The Athena powered forward, closing the huge distance to the geth with each second. Fighters began touching down with combat landings on the flight decks, as the cruisers pulled alongside, firing at their geth counterparts.

"Belfast is reporting heavy damage," said the comms officer, breaking Hannah's trance as she stared at the hologram, counting down the seconds until she was in range.

"Tell them to hold, they need to hold!" she replied.

She began to worry that she'd lose a ship and not have a single kill to offset it. The forward gunnery officer relieved her of the worry almost as soon as the thought entered her head.

"Torpedoes in range!" he said.  
>"Salvo fire!" ordered Hannah.<p>

Like a submarine on old Earth, tubes along the nose of the Athena opened up and the mass accelerators within them fired the torpedoes at a huge velocity out into space. Twenty five of them in congo-lines spread out from the carrier, joined soon after by the frigate wolfpack firing their own.

Hannah gripped the metal in front of her hard, watching the torpedoes progress the few seconds until impact. The weapons homed in on their targets, guided by targeting data from the Athena itself.

The monitor indicated the nearest geth cruiser was hit by a number of the weapons. Its target profile broke into several pieces, indicating that it had been destroyed. Every officer and enlisted person cheered loudly, watching the parts fall into the gravity well of the planet and begin to fall. The Captain relaxed, her hands now feeling the pins and needles. A geth cruiser had been destroyed, the gravity and space-time distortions from the torpedoes tearing into its hull.

"Frigates reporting hits on second cruiser," the XO said, as the geth contacts began disappear from the screen, "It's dead in the water and the rest are rabbiting to FTL, probably to the relay."

"With their tails between their legs," said Hannah, a grin on her face, "Contact the _Belfast_, is she still spaceworthy?"

"She retreated successfully," said the comms officer after a minute, "Reports that damage will require several weeks in port, and that they've had thirty three casualties."

Hannah collapsed into her seat. They had won a victory. A small one, over a small enemy force, but a victory nonetheless. There were going to be a lot of happy people when the word spread.

"Send a databurst to Space Command Terra informing them of the action in brief," she said, "Do we have the status of those geth dropships?"

"Still in-atmosphere, moving to escape," said Corrigan, "We won't be able to stop them."

"Message from the Normandy, Captain," said the comms officer, "N7 reports geth heavy armour in her mission area, near the Army dropzone."

Hannah chewed her lip for a moment.

"Pass the coordinates along to the footsloggers," she said after a moment, "And get me two squadrons refueled and re-armed for ground attack. They don't have Titans down there, they might need the help."

"Aye, Ma'am."

Hannah wondered just how close her daughter was to the geth, as she looked at the planet, hoping that whatever mission she was on was worth the risk.


	6. Chapter 5: Therum

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD:_

_Really enjoyed writing this chapter, because I get to smash the silly nature of the Therum mission. Why are all the geth spread out to an extent that one Mako can kill them all? Makes more sense that they'd roll twenty deep at the very least._

_Also makes more sense in this universe for Shepard to have badass backup, so badass backup she has. Polish readers may get the reference immediately in terms of their name.  
><em>

_Please review if you read this as well, as I would like feedback if you think I'm getting the characters' styles of speech right or not. Very important!_

_Also, added the Rorsch AT gun from BF4 Final Stand, or its 22__nd__ Century equivalent, because it's badass and the sort of weapon I would imagine an infiltratorShep would carry if s/he's going to face Armatures and Colossi._

_I'll publish a whole bunch of codex entries as a bonus chapter tomorrow night, as we've beaten fifty follows and favourites! The next full chapter will be Liara's._

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter Five: Therum**

The geth moved down the valley in a great lazy herd of silver and black, avoiding the great pools of magma, the legs of their walkers cracking into the reddish-black rock and soil. Colossi, armatures and regular geth platforms marched together at an almost leisurely pace. The rhythmic thudding of their movement drifted in the sulphuric air.

Shepard watched this scene with cool satisfaction, or as much as could be had in sixty-eight-celsius heat. From her position overlooking the valley, she could sight the entire geth column, stretching all the way to their target objective. Beside her, Garrus and Wrex lay. Vakarian had his rifle out, doing the same as Shepard. Wrex by contrast wasn't looking at the geth at all, but rather was lying on his back and gripping his shotgun in a manner that made it apparent to anyone who cared to look that he was impatient.

They were waiting for confirmation that the Army were in position, and it was taking a while.

"What count have you got?" asked Garrus, as he tracked the nearest colossus walker as it hobbled by.

"At least sixty walkers," replied Shepard happily, "All nice and bunched up."

"...You seem pleased," said Garrus, "Something I'm missing?"

"There are two things you need to know about me, Garrus," Shepard said, putting away her binoculars, "I like a drink, and I live for this."

"Watching a huge enemy force march towards a civilian settlement?" asked the turian with surprise, "At least we have one thing in common, but drinking is a lot easier on the elbows than sitting in the dirt."

"No, you idiot," interrupted Wrex, "Combat. You'd think a turian would get it."

"The Turian military tends to prefer discipline over thrill-seeking," said Garrus matter-of-factly.

"You are aware of who Shepard is, right?" asked Wrex, "From what I heard, she might fit in on Tuchanka."

"I'm aware," Garrus said, his rifle bobbing to the next target, "I just think a soldier should have more than combat to look forward to."

"What else is there?" said Wrex, "Other than breeding."

"Breeding?" laughed Garrus, "I suppose there is that."

"There is indeed," confirmed Shepard.

"I heard you got up to something along those lines during your visit on the Citadel," said Garrus, "Something about an elcor diplomat and Sha'ira?"

"Who have you been talking to?" Shepard asked, rolling onto her back to check her omnitool. No message from the Normandy or the fleet.

"Lieutenant Alenko. He said he got to wait outside with the Consort's handmaidens, and that there was some... noise?"

"That was... just blowing off some steam. We had a day to burn with a meeting with the Council hanging over our heads. We all did things we probably regret."

"But humans tend to be so uptight about the whole sleeping with aliens thing," said Garrus, "I'm surprised a diehard Alliance woman even went there."

"Yeah, it wasn't all bad," Shepard admitted, "Not sure if I plan to make a habit of it though."

"There are people on the Citadel who queue up for months to see Sha'ira, and you say 'it wasn't that bad'," said Garrus, "Either you're keeping your cool, because it was a lot better than you say, or it was terrible. Which is it?"

Shepard was exasperated by Vakarian's familiarity, but couldn't help but be amused by it as well. He was an officer who understood duty, he did what he felt was necessary, and he was a marksman to boot. A kindred spirit, in other words. Almost any other person, alien or human, would have received a riflebutt to the face by that point. Not Garrus. He was ugly enough as it was.

"Alright, it was pretty good," said Shepard confessed, "I don't prefer women, but it was good."

"Asari aren't women, technically," said Garrus in a raised tone. The turian was barely containing a condescending laugh. "Or at least, that's what _our_ females tell us."

"Oh, they're _definitely_ female," said Shepard, rolling her eyes for nobody's benefit but her own as she remembered the incident, "Trust me."

"Can we get back to the real subject?" asked Wrex, fidgeting with his shotgun for the twentieth time, "Combat is one of the two true pleasures of life, admit it."

"It beats deskwork, I'll admit that," said Garrus, "Paperwork doesn't shoot holes in you though, which can be a distinct advantage."

"Gah, you only find that a problem because you're weak," said Wrex, annoyed now, "What are we even doing sneaking around on this planet anyway?"

"The Council revealed that Saren is working with an asari matriarch, Benezia T'soni. The matriarch has a daughter who happens to be an expert on the Protheans, and she was last recorded as working on a digsite here. Our job is to take her into custody. Which you'd know, if you had bothered showing up at the briefing."

"Sorry, was getting ready."

"If the geth are here, the daughter probably has something to do with it," added Garrus.

"So when am I going to see the famous Angel of Death in action against then?" said Wrex, "So far I'm not impressed."

"What about the alley on the Citadel?" asked Shepard indignantly, "That was good shooting."

"Ha! Distracted targets in an enclosed area, that was a pyjak hunt."

The radio crackled, and Shepard waved for the krogan to shut up. A moment later, the signal cleared up.

"This is Task Force Wizna to Verdun, we are in position and are awaiting your confirmation," said the officer clearly, "We are formed up for an immediate advance on the enemy column."

"We copy, Wizna," said Shepard, "Will inform on target saturation."

"Copy Verdun, hit them hard."

"Does this mean we can fight now?" asked Wrex, elbowing his way through the rocky debris around him to take aim.

Shepard answered by taking the huge Rorsch anti-armour rifle off of her back, and laying it in front of her. It was almost as long as she was tall, a boxy black weapon with a scope and monitor system. Wrex just grinned back at her as she loaded the high density round and snapped the breach closed. Garrus seemed to stare for a moment.

"I meant to ask earlier, what the hell is that thing?" he asked.

"A big enough gun," said Shepard, "Turn off all your equipment."

"This is Verdun, request a Gorgon's Head on target coordinates," she said calmly, before giving a set of numbers as close to the middle of the geth column as she could manage.

"This is Athena 2, we copy Verdun," came the reply, "Standby for fire."

"Is it wise to call in an orbital strike, Shepard?" asked Garrus, "Won't we set off a volcano or something?"

"That would do our job for us," said Wrex, not displeased at the idea, "The asari I can live without."

"Just watch," said Shepard, "And make sure everything is turned off."

A minute of switching off omnitools and scopes later, and the fireworks started. The sky started flashing, illuminating the heavens in a strobing pattern. Giant blue-tinted bolts burst from the clouds directly above, slamming into the geth, discharging huge amounts of electrical current into the area and into the geth themselves.

"Gorgon's head, huh?" asked Garrus as the bombardment continued.

"Old Earth myth, a gorgon could turn you to stone if you looked into its eyes," Shepard explained, speaking over the noise of the hits, "A hero cut off the head of one and used it to defeat a sea monster."

The orbital attack stopped, and Shepard reactivated the scope on her rifle, causing it to hum as she brought it to her eye.

The regular geth were on the ground, curled over or laying on their backs. The walkers had stopped walking or moving at all. All sound had stopped except the churning sound of the magma and the wind blowing past the rock.

"That was impressive Shepard!" said Wrex, standing up now and brandishing his shotgun.

The Commander was less sure. She sighted the head of one of the bigger walkers. She held down the trigger, and the rifle's humming rose in pitch before discharging. The shot slammed into the thing like a thunderclap, the air ignited along its trajectory for the briefest moment.

The Colossus was hit. Metal shards burst out the other side of its head as shrapnel, and the thing fell to the ground. Shepard would have been happy, had it not been for the flickering of the walker's kinetic barriers as the round passed through them. The geth armoured units were just playing dead, and stopped their deception immediately.

"Spirits, the mechs!" said Garrus, just before he began to fire.

"Athena, this is Verdun," Shepard said as the krogan joined the turian in firing, "Negative effect on targets, request immediate assistance!"

The armatures and colossi were turning and padding towards their position now, the machineguns rattling increasingly accurate fire at them with a sound like so-many angry wasps.

"Verdun, this is Wizna, we are advancing."

Shepard fired her rifle again, damaging an armature with yet another loud discharge, but the thing kept coming and its fellows seemed to be speeding up. She activated her comms.

"Ashley, bring the Mako around, we need to get the hell out of here!"

* * *

><p>Hannah clasped her hand over her mouth as she watched the orbital scans in horror. The three blips on the screen, Jane and two of her crew, moved slowly towards their vehicle as the geth monstrosities began to close the gap quickly. An unsettling number of them seemed intent on blowing the younger Shepard away, as at least a third of the enemy contacts broke off in the direction of the small N7 team. Further away, the Army's own blips were now advancing to meet the enemy, but they were far too distant to be of any assistance.<p>

"We need air support and we need it now!" said Hannah, returning to her military demeanor, "Roll in Red squadron on geth targets!"

"Aye Captain!" said Corrigan loudly, before grabbing her mouthpiece.

"Attention Red Leader, danger-close fire mission on N7 coordinates, launch and proceed to target area."

"Aye, XO, launching now."

Hannah directed her attention to the starboard monitor, as the fighter-bombers were shot out of the catapult lanes on the side of her ship. Twenty of them came together in a coordinated aerial ballet, arranging themselves into four v-shaped formations. They swung in beside the Athena.

"Proceed to killbox, engage hostiles," said the XO, "Friendlies close."

The squadron leader acknowledged, and the group left the view of the exterior camera. Hannah turned back to the enviromental overlay, and watched them descend into the atmosphere. A quick glance at the planetary scan hit her like a kick in the gut. Jane had made it to their vehicle, but the geth hadn't given up. They were being chased and had very few places to run.

* * *

><p>The Mako's wheels spun in the dirt, as Ashley floored the accelerator. The geth armatures were a lot faster than they looked. The silver beasts had climbed the steep incline where Shepard had been not a minute before. The angry buzzing of their anti-personnel guns was joined by bright white-blue flashes of plasma cannons.<p>

"Get us to the digsite!" ordered Shepard, grabbing the turret controls, "Everyone else, return fire!"

The Commander sighted the first armature, and fired the main gun. The shot detonated against its kinetic barrier, sparking as the round broke apart, and the geth staggered just as it was firing. It spat its ball of plasma at its neighbour, causing the less fortunate one to go down.

Shepard didn't take the time to appreciate the moment, as she continued firing the machinegun. The other armatures had simply stamped around their two crippled units and kept coming. Thankfully, the vehicle was moving at a good pace now, and the geth were finally getting more distant. Not so fortunately, the terrain seemed to be getting rougher, as Ashley began triggering the micro-thrusters repeatedly to get over the rocky obstacles in their way.

Tali fell out of her seat, and bumped into Shepard.

"Keelah, is this what you humans do all the time?" she asked, pushing herself off the Commander's back and into her place.

"Only on the weekends," said Kaidan, grinning while holding onto his restraints tightly.

"Never let it be said that you are boring," Garrus said, just before the Mako slammed onto the ground once again, shaking all the occupants, "Chief, do you mind not crashing us about?"

"I'm sorry Vakarian, would you like to drive?" said Ashley sarcasm at maximum, manoeuvring the vehicle over yet another outcrop of cooled lava, "Or can I just kick you out of this thing and leave you for the geth!"

Shepard turned her attention back to the turret's aiming system. Plasma bolts splashed down in around the vehicle, far too close for comfort. The armatures were having a much easier time following on the rough ground, and the Commander cursed. The Alliance used walkers the same way, so that they could attack through terrain that armour would usually be unable to advance through. The geth seemed to be trying to surround them, moving out to the left and right of the Mako.

"Ashley, how far until the digsite?" asked Shepard, after letting another shot loose from the mass accelerator cannon.

"Over the next hill, you can already see the drill towers," said Ashley. With her tongue sticking out between her lips in a moment of concentration, the Chief powered the vehicle forward. Shepard turned the turret forwards, just in time to see the shot that took it apart. For a split second, the responsible Colossus could be seen at the mine's entrance.

"Hold on!" said Ashley, charging the Mako directly towards the enemy. Shepard grabbed the driver's seat and watched the Colossus get closer and closer. It was charging another shot.

"Chief, I hope you know what you're doing!" said Shepard nervously, before strapping herself into her own seat. Ashley didn't respond, but started roaring as the Mako's speed continued to increase.

The vehicle struck the giant mech just as it fired. The front end was blasted, the barriers of no use, but the Mako slammed into the geth platform with a thunderous metallic smack. It fell over and under the APC's wheels, which came to a stop on top of it.

Inside, the occupants had been thrown about. Shepard unbuckled herself from her seat and rubbed her head, opening her eyes. She looked to her side. Chief Williams was out cold, her face lying on the console in front of her, a big smile plastered on her face. The Commander frowned. Army types and their showing off. Shepard nudged her, and she awoke with a jolt.

"Well, that was horrible," muttered Tali, getting off the floor.

"I've had worse," growled Wrex, pushing Garrus off of him.

"We'd better get out of this before..."

The sound of another plasma detonation boomed off the hull of the Mako, and its occupants scrambled for the side doors with indecent haste. All except Wrex piled out of the wreck, as the krogan had to be pulled out due to the small size of the hatch. The colossus on which the Mako was resting began to move, trying to shrug the metal weight off of its back.

Shepard swung her huge rifle off her back, and walked to the geth's head. Pushing down on target with her armoured boot, she leveled her weapon at its neck and fired. A thunderclap later, and the head detached from the body, its movement stopped.

"Shepard, a little of that would be good over here!" said Garrus, firing around the heap. She rushed to his side, popping another round into her rifle as she did so. A quick look revealed that the armatures were sitting on the hilltops, firing down at them.

"Wizna, this is Verdun," said Shepard into her comms, "Heavy enemy presence at objective Julia."

"Verdun, we are advancing," came the reply, "No ETA, enemy are doing everything they can to stop us." An explosion sounded through the air in the distance. The colonel wasn't kidding.

Shepard looked around here. Ashley and Kaidan had climbed on top of the dead colossus, using the tipped-over Mako as cover, while Wrex and Garrus were fighting from the side of the heap. The Commander looked over her shoulder for Tali. The quarian was sitting down, her legs crossed, rapidly tapping on her omnitool.

"Tali, have you got a plan?" Shepard asked, leaning her rifle on the ground and crouching.

"Yes, just let me try something," Tali replied, "We should be able to get to the mines with this."

She stood up, and climbed up beside Ashley. Shepard followed her, hoisting her rifle up to fire as well.

As the Chief continued firing, Tali pointed her omnitool at one of the armatures, pressing a button with her thumb. The computer beeped loudly, and the quarian ducked. Shepard kept looking, and frowned. Nothing appeared to be happening, and she sighted the nearest target to fire.

The thing twitched for a second, then turned to its neighbour and bashed it to the ground. The armature charged its weapon and fired it into the next one over, and turning to face its fellows and rattling off its machinegun against their barriers.

"Get to the mine!" she ordered, firing a hypervelocity slug at a mech that was trying to destroy Tali's thrall to excellent effect. As yet another of the walkers crumpled to the ground, the team moved out in good order; Tali first, then Wrex and Kaidan, and finally, Ashley and Garrus. Shepard tossed a brace of grenades at the still increasing numbers of geth, and ran as hard as she could up the ramp to the entrance.

From the height, she could see that even more geth were headed their way. Some of the geth footsoldier types had survived and were running at a pace only a synthetic could maintain towards battle. Shepard breathed hard, sitting down against the tube-like entrance and reloaded, as Tali hacked the door controls.

"This is Verdun, if anyone's going to help us, now would be good," she said into her comms.

"This is Athena Actual, bombers vectoring in to assist now," replied Hannah over the radio. Shepard's heart almost stopped. It was her mother.

No one else noticed her expression. They were too busy watching attack craft scream overhead, strafing the geth with their cannons. The heads of the armatures looked into the sky as one, and they began to fire randomly. It didn't stop the bombardment.

Too many geth were getting close though, as the foot platforms came into range of the entrance and shots pinged off the metal around the group.

"Keep firing!" ordered Shepard, removing the grin plastered from her face, "Tali, the door!"

"The geth have locked it," she replied, as Ashley and Wrex opened up with their weapons on full auto, "I need more time!"

Shepard clenched her jaw, and crawled to the edge of the ramp. Kaidan sent a ball of dark energy tumbling down it as a group of geth soldiers reached the bottom, and they were sent floating into the air. The pair shot them with pinpoint shots from their pistols, but had to retreat again when an armature dumped a plasma shot onto the gantry beside them.

"There's an army out there!" said Kaidan, "They've concentrated their forces."

"I noticed, Lieutenant," growled Shepard, stowing her AT rifle and bringing up an assault variety.

Wrex boomed a carnage shot off at a group of geth, roaring in triumph as they blew apart.  
>"Shepard, look!" the krogan said, stabbing a finger off into the distance. The Commander looked down her sights in the direction he had pointed.<p>

Alliance walkers were pounding towards the mine now, dozens of them. White and red flags flying from their antennas, they fired as they advanced, with missiles and slugs shredding the armatures one at a time.. The geth had been retreating!

"Wizna, this is Verdun, we have eyes on you," said Shepard, half-laughing, "You have no idea how good it is to see you."

"Verdun, we are happy to assist," said the colonel in accented English, "I suggest you get into the digsite while we take these toasters apart, no need to waste time."

"Copy, Wizna," said Shepard.

The mine doors beeped and slid open, and Tali took the first steps inside shotgun raised as Shepard ordered the other team members to follow her.

She took one last look at the battle outside, as the bombers came in again, dropping precision bombs on groups. Shepard turned and began to run down towards their objective.

Benezia's daughter was close.


	7. Codex: Torfan & Other Entries

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD: Bonus chapter with some background for Shepard and the Alliance here in celebration of a couple of milestones. Five chapters, fifty followers and fifty favourites. Five is a good number, it sounds official. Fifty, more so.  
><em>

****Codex: Battle of Torfan****

_Eight years after the slave raid on Mindoir, the Alliance discovered the main batarian stronghold in Citadel space on the moon of Torfan. Despite heavy resistance being predicted, Alliance High Command was eager to seize the base. With the Navy unable to bombard the underground bunkers from orbit without damaging the ecosphere, the Army was brought in to plan the assault. Knowing they would be facing both hardened criminals and special forces from the Batarian External Forces, the Army requested an N7 team from the Navy for forward reconaissance, a decision that would prove fateful._

_The team itself lead by Lieutenant Shepard and an Army Biotic Assault team lead by Major Kyle were dropped onto the moon by assault pod, and proceeded to mark the entrances of the enemy bunkers as well as dropzones. Shepard proceeded to destroy an enemy surface base with explosives as the Alliance assault fleet arrived, killing thousands of batarians as they slept. _

_With the dropzones secure, the XIII Legion dropped onto the planet, and Shepard moved her team to assault the main entrance of the bunker complex. Despite Major Kyle being incapacitated and much of her team killed, the lieutenant succeeded, and she ordered the Army troops into the bunkers for a full room-by-room clearance operation. No prisoners were taken. The conduct of the troops and the huge casualties were laid directly at Shepard's feet, and a large controversy around it continues as questions about the necessity of the tactics used are raised.  
><em>

_The Batarian Hegemony withdrew into its own borders after Torfan, and the initiative in the war went to the Alliance. They were eventually pushed back to the Kite's Nest region of space by Alliance naval activity. Many batarians fled to the Terminus Systems, as there was neither enough space for the colonial population in their core colonies, nor did many wish to continue living under a brutal caste hierarchy after seeing what the 'equal' humans were capable of._

****Codex: Task Force Wizna****

_The first cohort of the V Legion, Task Force Wizna is descended from Polish Army units of the European Union. _

_Its history in the 22nd Century is covered in glory like almost no other. During the Cold War, Wizna fought in every major campaign against the Pan-Asian Coalition, surviving the defeats at Minsk and Brandenburg, the delaying action at Verdun, the defence of Cerbere, the PAC raid on Camp Gibraltar, and the Titan battles of Suez, Sibi and Shuhia Tabia. However, its most defining moment during the war was its role in the EU counteroffensive in 2145, where the entire task force was dropped behind enemy lines into its homeland, liberating a significant population that had been left behind during the initial PAC lightning offensive in 2139._

_During the 2157 First Contact War, Task Force Wizna was one of the units that took part in the Liberation of Shanxi, and earned a reputation as one of the most aggressive units in that conflict. After the war, Wizna was integrated into the Systems Alliance legion system, becoming the premier unit of the Fifth Legion, which was assigned to colonial protection duty._

_The presence of Wizna on Elysium during the Verge Conflict with the Batarian Hegemony would turn out to be crucial for the prestige and security of the Alliance. In 2176, Task Force Wizna was assigned to protect the colony, which was attacked two months after their arrival. Outnumbered nearly forty to one, Wizna held the line against the batarian military force that had been sent to capture and enslave the colony, and the attack was repulsed with horrendous casualties for the attackers. _

_After Elysium, the unit was the first regular military unit on the ground on the joint human-batarian colony of Anhur, helping to crush the slavers there. As of 2183, the unit's reputation both on the offensive and the defensive is almost legendary. As the premier unit of its legion, Task Force Wizna carries a golden eagle in the style of a Roman aquila into battle, an European Army tradition that the Polish troops are happy to carry on._

****Codex: EXALT (EXtremely Advanced Longe-range Torpedo) Weaponry****

_The Alliance's go-to weapon for medium range and orbital environment engagements, EXALT weapons consist of an element-zero warhead designed to create devastating space-time warping effects via dark energy, attached to a guidance system and fired from a specialised kind of mass accelerator. Although fired at a slower speed than a slug-munition mass driver weapon, the torpedoes are fast enough to be fired from a much larger distance than traditional designs previously used by Council species, and are far less vulnerable to GARDIAN point defence weaponry as a result. _

_The Alliance used this form of weapon to devastating effect against the Turians in the First Contact War and the Batarians in the Skyllian Verge Conflict. As a result, all Council species use some form of the weapon, often bought directly from the major state-owned arms companies on Earth. Batarian developments of the weapon have also emerged, albeit with less capable guidance systems. As of 2183, the only major naval powers in the galaxy that do not use EXALT weapons are the Quarian Migrant Fleet and the Geth, with the former lacking the resources to build or buy such weapons in the necessary numbers, and the latter having not recognised their worth given their surplus of conventional weapons ._

_The weapons come in two forms, space-based and ground based. Space-based EXALT weapons are found on all classes of ship, from specialised torpedo fighter-bombers to the Alliance Niké-class carriers. "Ground-based" EXALT weapons are primarily found on Alliance Titans, which fire a re-useable launch tube into space via a missile before the torpedo itself is launched. EXALT weapons function poorly in-atmosphere due to the size of their munitions, and the Alliance has developed weapons with a similar warhead based on missiles to replace the capability._

**Codex: The Systems Alliance Navy**

_The Navy was one of two military institutions created by the Systems Alliance after its foundation, the other being the Alliance Army. Its strategic doctrine revolves around responding to threats to colonies from central bases, and then the use of escalating force against aggressor strongpoints._

_After the First Contact War, the Systems Alliance was told with absolute certainty that it would have to comply with existing Citadel laws on navies. This included the Treaty of Farixen, which would limit the number of dreadnoughts that humanity could build to a small fraction of that of the Council fleets. Once told of the exact terms, the Alliance agreed readily, and the Council believed it had won a stunning diplomatic triumph. They were mistaken. The Alliance Navy's tactical doctrine is based on the carrier, backed up by long range fire from dreadnoughts and cruisers, its fleets organised into carrier assault groups and cruiser patrol squadrons.  
><em>

_The other notable difference with other Citadel species' military tactics is the Alliance's use of frigates. Humanity's experience with submarine warfare has been directly applied to space, and human frigates operate in independent flotillas of their own. This has been made possible thanks to the development of EXALT weaponry and ever more effective stealth systems. Furthermore, humanity is the only Citadel species to operate a flotilla of deterrence frigates, armed with multiple weapons of mass destruction and operating in border territories with the express purpose of retaliating against any full scale invasion with extreme prejudice._

**Codex: The Systems Alliance Army**

_Emerging from the combined military might of the two major power blocs on Earth, the Systems Alliance Army is by far the larger of the two military entities created for the organisation at the start of humanity's exploration of space. Originally divided into national military units, the Army instituted a legion system in 2165 in order to create better army cohesion. The Army is now divided into fifty numbered legions, each consisting of military units from mixed national origins. Each consists of hundreds of thousands of troops, organised into task forces which are in turn divided into numbered regiments or cohorts._

_Odd numbered legions tend to be from Eurasia, while even numbered legions tend to be from the Americas and Africa, though this is not consistently applied throughout the Army. One exception to the trend is the First Legion, which consists of the elite field regiments and brigades of every major power on Earth. Lower numbered legions tend to be the units sent to respond to crisis situations, while higher numbered legions often have garrison or support roles._

_Recruitment for the Army takes place on all worlds recognising Alliance law, but despite this, the only world aside from Earth to have its own military unit is Mars. With the history of colonial ventures on Earth in mind, the Systems Alliance has banned colonies forming their own distinct units, and recruits from colonies are sent back to Earth and integrated into units there. This measure was adopted to insure that colonial citizens would have loyalty to Earth politically and militarily, and also to insure that those born on Earth would never take the colonies for granted._


	8. Chapter 6: T'soni

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD:_

_Really enjoyed writing this chapter, had a bit of fun with it. _

_Reached three thousand visitors, so I'll probably do something about that. Was thinking of writing a flashback to Torfan into the prologue, as a timeline alone is a bit dry, tell me if you'd like to read something like that. Also considering a rewrite of the first chapter, as it's a little heavy at the moment._

_A codex entry at the bottom for the N7 Programme, as it's a bit different in this setting for various reasons. Also, an entry on Shepard's rifle, for which I've also put up a link to Youtube on my profile in case you wanted a visual representation of how it works and what it looks like._

_And yes, I do speak the Queen's English. Ironic, I know. Programme is the correct spelling for that word!_

**Chapter Six: T'soni**

The mineshaft descended for a couple of hundred metres, the circular passage sheathed in metal and lit by rings of blue lights. No sounds but air processors could be heard once the sound of fighting above died down, but Shepard had no doubt it would be easy from here on out. The geth had rallied to the mine for some reason, and the Commander was looking forward to finding out why and sticking her omniblade into it.

The group had made its way down the shaft, careful to make as little sound as possible while moving quickly as every step seemed to echo on the metal. They made it to the bottom soon enough, and another locked door awaited them there. Tali began to hack the controls again, while everyone else took a breather. Shepard approached her.

"I just want to say thank you," she said, leaning against the door, "We wouldn't have made it up there without you."

"You saved my life in the alley back on the Citadel," replied Tali, "It would be very impolite of me to not return the favour."

Shepard laughed. "I suppose it would," she said after a moment, "But I won't forget it."

"Let's just hope the rest of this mission is less dramatic," said Tali, slapping her omnitool with finality. The circular door rolled aside, revealing a deep cavern. An elevator stood alongside a bright white structure, the entrance of which was blocked by a glowing blue energy barrier.

"It looks like the cave formed around the structure," said Tali as she wandered forwards.

"The Protheans built to last," said Garrus, as he peeked over the edge of the platform, "What Dr. T'soni is looking for here must be important, usually these ruins contain damaged and powered down consoles."

"Keelah, look how far down it goes!" said Tali as she approached the railing.

"Reminds me of a bunker," said Shepard, frowning.

"Maybe it is one," said Ashley, "If it can survive being buried in lava?"

"So, is T'soni at the bottom of this pit?" asked Kaidan, waving at the elevator, "I wouldn't want to be caught in _that_ if there's a firefight."

"Lieutenant, do you see a staircase?" said Shepard, "We don't have a choice, unless you'd like to jump?"

"Ah, no Commander," said Kaidan, eyeing the huge drop beside him, "I could make it with my biotics, but I'm not sure going down alone would be the best decision."

"So we take the elevator and come out guns blazing," said Wrex, "Just the way I like it."

"Sounds good to me," added Ashley, "But can we do it this century?"

"You heard her," said Shepard to the others.

The group piled into the machine, jostling for space a bit, and it began its slow journey below. More of the shielded entrances into the tower passed them by, white gleaming tiles bathed in blue light, the alcoves punctuating the wall.

The sound of some large machine charging up got louder and louder.

The trip down ended at another platform above the cavern floor, with the elevator losing power. Shepard kept everyone quiet as she crept ahead for a look. There were geth platforms everywhere, walking about the space that had been dug out, searching for something. Another pair seemed to be fiddling with a control panel attached to a huge mining laser, its bulk filling much of the cavern. Through the blue barrier a level above the ground, an asari could be seen hunched over but suspended in some sort of stasis field. She seemed to be in despair or unconscious, her head hanging down.

"There's our VIP, and she doesn't look too happy to see the geth," whispered Shepard, "When they fire that laser, we drop on top of them."

Wrex grinned widely at that, and grabbed the nearest railing, ready to jump. The others simply looked at him and each other, before following his lead. Shepard took out her AT rifle and loaded it quietly. Snapping it closed, she took up a position beside the tower wall, ready to drop between the geth and the target. Ashley joined her, and together they awaited the geth's next move.

It was not long in coming.

Two minutes of nervous waiting was rewarded with a blinding flash as the mining laser fired, blasting away rock that appeared to have leaked into the tower itself when it was still molten. The team watched the laser burn away the obstruction, a sight that the geth seemed equally entranced by. Shepard nodded to Ashley, activated her cloaking device and dropped down.

She landed with a thud behind a geth juggernaut and wasted no time. She held her rifle at her hip, placed the barrel centimetres from the thing's back and triggered her weapon. The hypervelocity round flew through the geth's metal body, ripping its core out and sending its splinters flying. The Commander decloaked and took cover.

The mining laser ceased firing, and the others took that as a sign to join the party.

Kaidan and Wrex were the first down, the former using his formidable biotics to float down with grace as he sent bolts of dark energy at foes. The krogan simply landed on top of the largest geth he could get at. The satisfying crunch turned all geth attention to him. Seeing the danger, Kaidan ran to the krogan and sent a charging geth destroyer flying, before blowing the thing to pieces. Wrex returned the favour with a blast from his shotgun, splattering a geth hopper across the cavern wall before it got a shot off at the lieutenant.

Ashley dropped in beside Shepard as the latter was switching to her assault rifle. The Commander began firing at the geth stragglers as Kaidan and Wrex continued their biotic rampage.

Shepard turned sharply as the sound of a metal ping erupted from behind her. A geth stalker fell from the wall, a hole in its head sparking. She looked above her, and Garrus sat aiming in her direction with Tali beside him, poking her own weapon over the edge. Another shot bounced off the tower wall, and Shepard took cover as Ashley riddled the offending synthetic.

"By the Goddess, what's going on!" came a voice from behind. Shepard ignored the speaker, watching Kaidan toss a geth towards Wrex. The krogan was clearly in a good mood, as he clotheslined the offender as it flew past him in mid-air. Another pair of geth were busy shooting each other to pieces, Tali's handiwork being just as effective against the foot platforms as the heavy mechs. Garrus shot the two of them with cool efficiency, taking his time to take the heads off both. Shepard felt like applauding. Far from textbook execution, but no casualties and a whole load of dead geth. Win-win.

The Commander turned to the barrier behind her. Floating in a blue ball, Dr. Liara T'soni was spreadeagled in mid-air behind it, between a pair of consoles. She was definitely conscious now, and just looked between the two humans before her with something resembling awe.

"Well, look at this. Appears we got here just in the nick of time," Shepard said, kicking aside the nearest geth shell, "What does that make us?"

"Big damn heroes, ma'am!" replied Ashley.

"Aren't we just?"

"Hello?" said Liara, interrupting the conversation, "Could you help me? Please? I am trapped."

"I can see that. I'm Commander Shepard, with the Alliance Navy. What happened here?" asked Shepard, trying not to sound too interrogating. High Command would want to know all they could, and she was curious herself. The asari watched for a moment as the others made their way to the barrier, and she appeared to be gathering her thoughts. The rest thankfully remained quiet.

"Listen, this is a Prothean security device. I cannot move, so you need to get me out of it, alright?"

"How'd you end up in there?"

"I was exploring the ruins when the geth showed up, so I hid here. Can you believe that? Geth! Beyond the Veil! I activated the tower's defences, I knew the barrier curtains would keep them out. When I turned it on, I must've hit something I wasn't supposed to. You must get me out, please."

"Your mother is working with Saren, whose side are you on?"

"What? I'm not on anyone's side! I may be Benezia's daughter, but I'm nothing like her! I have not spoken to her in years. Please, just get me out of here!"

Shepard took a moment to think, taking a step forward. The asari's story had more than a grain of truth about it. The geth had appeared to be doing all they could to get to her, and if they had been assisting her, they would have been inside the tower to begin with. Nor did T'soni seem like the kind of person who could compel geth to follow her. She looked every bit like a young college academic her file said she was, certainly not the agent of a mastermind looking to destroy humanity. Though her biotic abilities were probably substantial all the same.

"Alright, but I'm afraid we're going to have to take you with us," said Shepard finally, "You're the daughter of a declared enemy of the Alliance, and we're at war."

"I understand," said Liara, "Frankly, I think I would be safer with you than on my own anyway, if the geth are trying to kill me."

"I wouldn't be so sure," said Ashley, venom dripping from her tone. Shepard shot her a look that insured that the Chief knew exactly what was expected of her.

"Alright, let's see if there's a ladder back there so we can get up to her through the hole the geth made."

It turned out there was a lift mechanism for the floor, and Shepard was at the Prothean console controlling the security device in just a few minutes.

"That button should shut down the containment field," said Liara, indicating the left console with her head. Shepard wandered over to it, and pressed the most prominent button on the interface. The doctor fell to the floor, landing on her knees. Ashley's weapon twitched upwards, and Wrex took a step forward, both of them anticipating an attack or an escape attempt. Liara instead struggled to her feet, and walked over to the Commander.

"Thank you," she said.

"I have to cuff you," said Shepard, not particularly liking it, "It's standard procedure for transporting a prisoner of war, but you won't be harmed in any way."

"I don't understand, what have Saren and Benezia done?" Liara asked.

"The geth attacked Eden Prime, a human colony," explained Garrus, "The Alliance have declared war on the geth, and it looks like Saren and your mother are leading them."

Liara's face was a storm of emotions for a moment as she processed this information. Shepard felt sorry for her. She could only imagine what it would be like for a daughter to be told that her mother was a mass murderer, but she remembered Torfan and who was commanding the carrier orbiting above the very planet they were on. Perhaps Hannah Shepard knew what Liara was going through more than anyone else. The asari quickly got herself together and nodded.

"I understand, do what you need to," she said, "I have nothing to do with my mother's actions and I will cooperate."

Shepard inclined her head, and put the plasticuffs on her, making sure that they weren't tight.

"You could probably break these at will anyway," she said, "If our report on you is accurate."

"Any idea how we get out of here?" asked Tali, "We can't come back the way we came."

"We can use the platform you used to get up here," said Liara, "At least, I think we can. It should get us out of here, come on."

Liara took the group to the centre of the tower, and fiddled with a panel for a moment. The floor began rising rapidly soon afterwards, taking them past room after room of Prothean technological relics. Shepard watched these for any sign of trouble.

"I still cannot believe all this, why would the geth come after me?" said the asari, "Do you think Benezia's involved?"

"Saren's looking for something called the Conduit," Tali replied, "You're a Prothean expert, he probably wants you to help him find it."

"Or prevent us from using your expertise to stop him," added Garrus.

"The Conduit? But I don't know-"

The sound of gunfire echoed from above for a moment.

"Stand to!" ordered Shepard, pulling Liara behind her as the others raised their weapons. The floor had almost reached the top of the tower.

When it arrived, the group immediately lowered their weapons. Shattered geth lay about the floor, either sparking electricity from large holes in their bodies or broken into pieces. In groups across the round room, Alliance soldiers stood at the ready, large white eagles etched onto their armour and their weapons held at rest.

Near the exit, a krogan was held prisoner, and a Colonel stood beside him. The latter approached.

Shepard, Ashley and Kaidan all stood to attention and saluted, and the officer returned the gesture, the faceplate of his armour staring at them for a moment.

"Commander Shepard," he smiled, "Colonel Kasper, Fifth Legion. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And you si-"

The captive krogan ripped through his restraints and charged. As the Colonel was tossed aside by the attacker, Shepard scrambled for her gun, hoping to at least slow the battlemaster before he smashed her to pieces. Just as she thought she wouldn't make it, a hand extended past her shoulder. The krogan flew into the air, suspended by biotics. Shepard turned, and found Liara standing beside her, glowing blue. The asari closed her fist, and waved it. The krogan slammed to the ground with no small amount of force, and roared with pain as biotic energy began tearing at him.

Shepard turned to Liara, who was still watching the downed krogan. "Thank you," she said to the archeologist. "You are welcome," Liara replied, "I hope you will forgive me for getting out of my restraints, but the situation demanded it."

"Yes, it did," said Shepard. She would remember this.

Wrex stepped forward, as the battlemaster started trying to get to his feet.

"Urdnot says hello," he growled. His shotgun barked twice, and the other krogan was dead. The Commander would ask about that comment later, she decided as the mercenary returned to the group, less than pleased about what he had just done.

By now, the rest of the soldiers had rushed to the scene, and helped Colonel Kasper off the floor. He groaned, holding his side as he was helped up.

The ground began to shake, and parts of the roof broke and fell.

"Uh, that's not good," said Ashley, looking around.

"Let's get out of here!" shouted Shepard, "Double time!"

The soldiers lead the way, leaving the tower through the original entrance that had connected to the top of the cavern. Rock began shearing off from the roof and walls at an alarming rate. As they ran, the trooper helping the Colonel was hit. Garrus grabbed the downed man, as Shepard gave the officer her hand. He took it, and limped forwards.

An uncomfortable climb out of the mine shaft later, and the door opened to reveal the Normandy hovering above, ready to evacuate them.

"Commander, hurry! The Normandy's hull isn't rated for molten rock," said Joker.

* * *

><p>The debriefing room was more crowded than usual. The escape from the now-destroyed Prothean ruin had been a close run thing, but Joker's quick thinking had saved them all. A change out of armour, a report written and a fresh uniform later, and it was time to run through what to do next. No rest for the wicked, thought the Commander.<p>

Yet another person had been picked up in the service of humanity's revenge. Shepard looked around the room as she fought exhaustion. Aside from the Matriarch Benezia's daughter and Kaidan, two of the most powerful biotics she had ever seen, there was the krogan mercenary with big connections, the turian C-Sec officer with a vigilante streak and a crack shot, the extremely deadly gunnery-chief who was far too competent for her rank, and the quarian princess-slash-tech genius.

Shepard couldn't help but feel even more exhausted. The more racist politicians were going to shit bricks. She could hear the indignant cries already. 'Are you going to invite the batarians on board as well?' The story about the Consort would undoubtedly do the rounds in the tabloids. And what happened on Torfan would protect her from exactly zero accusations of fraternisation, even from those who hailed her as a hero.

Everyone sat and looked to her, as she was lost in thought.

"Commander?" asked Chakwas, "We're ready."

"Alright," sighed Shepard, "First thing is first, how are our guests?"

"Colonel Kasper is sedated, he broke three ribs and was in a lot of pain. His corporal got a nasty bump on the head and bruising on his neck and back, but is recovering well. We'll transfer them to the Army as soon as transport can be arranged."

"Make sure he knows I'm grateful," said Shepard, "Without his troops we would have been killed by the geth."

"I have something that should send the message loud and clear," said Chakwas with confidence.

"We have to reward our footslogging colleagues when they save our asses," said Shepard, glancing at Kaidan and Ashley and feeling a bit better about things, "What about you Dr. T'soni?"

"I do not feel well," Liara admitted, "But I am grateful to you. You saved my life back there, and not just from the volcano. Those geth would have killed me, or dragged me off to Saren."

"Any idea what Saren wants you for? Do you know something about the Conduit?" asked Kaidan.

"Only that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction, that is my area of expertise. I have spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them."

"Wait, how old are you exactly?" asked Kaidan.

"I hate to admit it, but I am only one hundred and six."

"Damn! I hope I look that good when I'm your age," said Ashley loudly.

"It's actually quite young for an asari," said Shepard to no one in particular.

Most of the room now looked at Shepard, Garrus and the Chief wearing knowing smiles.

"What, I know things," she said, rolling her eyes.

"...Among the asari, I am barely considered more than a child," Liara continued, somewhat confused by the tangent in conversation, "Because of my youth, other asari scholars tend to dismiss my theories on what happened to the Protheans."

"I've got my own theory on why they disappeared," said Shepard.

"I have heard every theory out there. The problem is finding evidence to support them. The Protheans left very little behind, almost as if someone was deliberately insuring that nothing would be. But that's not the incredible part, according to my findings, the Protheans were not the first galactic civilisation to vanish. The cycle began long before them."

"If the Protheans weren't the first, then who was?" asked Garrus.

"We don't know, there is barely any evidence on the Protheans and even less on those who came before them. I cannot prove my theory, but I know I am right! There is a cycle of extinction. Each time, a great civilisation rises up, it is suddenly and violently cast down. Only ruins survive. The Protheans used the knowledge of those that came before and their empire spanned the entire galaxy. Their greatest achievements, the Citadel and the mass relays, are based on the technology of those who came before them. And then, like the others, they disappeared. I have dedicated my life to finding out why."

Shepard's head hurt suddenly. The images from the beacon came back to her, and she rubbed her head. Liara's words had put them at the forefront of her mind.

"They were wiped out by a race of sentient machines, the Reapers," Shepard said, "I received a vision from a beacon on Eden Prime that showed me the destruction of the Protheans, and Tali recovered information from a disabled geth unit that proved they are following Saren in order to bring the Reapers back."

"The- the Reapers?" said Liara in shock, "But I have never heard of them? How is that possible?"

"The beacon burned a vision into my brain," said Shepard, "I'm still trying to figure out what it all means."

"The beacons were designed to transmit information directly into the mind of the user, but finding one that still works is extremely rare," Liara said, almost as if she was thinking aloud, "No wonder the geth attacked Eden Prime, the chance to acquire a working beacon is worth almost any risk. They were only designed for Prothean physiology however, whatever information you received would have been confused."

"The geth made a mistake in their risk calculation," Shepard said firmly, "Their inexperience with humanity shows. We won't sit by for three hundred years and let them do what they want, their desire for the beacon is going to cost them. But you're right about the beacon, all I have is a series of images, most of which I'd rather not see."

"I am amazed you were able to make sense of them at all. A lesser mind would have been utterly destroyed by the process. You must be remarkably strong willed, Commander."

"Okay, this isn't helping us find Saren or the Conduit," said Ashley, her impatience growing.

"Of course, you are right," said Liara quickly, "Unfortunately, I do not have any information that could help you find the Conduit, or Saren."

"You can still help us," Shepard said, "If Saren is trying to kill you, you're valuable to him and that alone could prove helpful. Not to mention your knowledge of the Protheans is something we need."

"And, her biotics will come in handy when the fighting starts," noted Garrus.

"It would be good to have you on the team, if you're willing," said Shepard, as the asari got up.

"Thank you Commander, I can't think of anywhere safer," Liara replied, before staggering on her feet a bit.

"When was the last time you ate, or slept?" asked Kaidan, getting up to help her, "Dr. Chakwas should take a look at you."

"It is probably just mental exhaustion, today has been... eventful," said Liara.

"Get checked out," ordered Shepard, "We're finished here and if you're joining the team, I need you in good condition."

"We can talk later, everyone else, dismissed."

The crew filed out of the room, seemingly just as eager as the Commander and Liara for some rest. It had been a demanding mission.

"Preliminary mission reports have been filed, Commander," said Joker via the intercom, "I have the commander of the Athena on comms to talk to you."

"Patch her through, Joker," Shepard replied.

"Good, because I'm not hanging up on your mom," said the pilot cheekily.

The Commander turned to the holographic projector, and her mother's form soon flickered up. She was wearing the dress blues of a group captain, stern and correct in every particular. However, Hannah Shepard's face was one of gladness and relief. The two things together made the younger Shepard feel a strong nostalgia rising in her chest.

"Hello Jane," she said warmly, "I'm very glad to see you're safe."

"No small part because of your help," replied Shepard, "If your air support hadn't come when it did, the geth would have got to us before Colonel Kasper showed up."

"Well, I was simply helping a fellow officer," she said. Both of them laughed at that.

"Congratulations on your promotion, by the way, Group Captain and commander of the Athena now?"

"I only wish I didn't get it because of a war. I saw the pictures from Eden Prime. I hope you're doing alright."

"I've seen worse... both before and since. There was a Prothean beacon, it downloaded some sort of vision into my mind and it is worse than what I saw on Torfan."

Hannah's face turned to one of deep concern now.

"Do you need help? You can get put on leave if you want, your service record would give you leeway."

"No, Mom, don't be absurd. I need to stop the geth, and High Command are aware of the visions. Apparently that is how Prothean technology works, sending information into your head. It's just... we're out here fighting _another_ war. Does it ever end?"

"Only when our last enemies are dead," said Hannah sadly, "That's the only time war is unnecessary, when there are no more real enemies to fight. Look at the Council, they left the geth to their own devices for centuries, and now we're fighting because they failed to act. I think that's what makes humanity different. We understand war in a way no other species does because it's all we've known. At least, I hope so. Others see war as glorious or criminal, we see it as necessary."

"I need to do everything I can to win this war."

"As will I," said Hannah, "Be careful to remain human, if you lose yourself, you've lost even if your enemy is gone."

"...You said that after Torfan as well, and I didn't really understand what you meant by it then... But seeing the beacon's vision... I will remember that."

"Good," smiled Hannah, "But I'm not calling just to see my daughter, unfortunately. We've received orders from High Command for you. I think they were making a statement by making me deliver them personally."

"Well, what are their orders, Group Captain?" asked the younger Shepard, standing straighter.

"You're being sent back to the Citadel, along with the quarian and the asari on your ship, to report to Anderson and Ambassador Udina for some assignment," she said, "It's all very hush-hush, Anderson wouldn't even tell me when I called to ask."

Both mother and daughter frowned at that, and the latter grinned as she noticed her mother frowning. Shepard wondered if her mother's expression was the same way she looked to others, and not for the first time. She felt her spirits rising again. Although getting at the geth seemed like a better use of her time, if High Command wanted her at the Citadel, she would go.

"I guess there's only one way to find out what they're up to."

* * *

><p><strong>Codex: N7 Programme<strong>

_The N7 programme is the Alliance Navy's specialised infantry initiative for forward reconnaissance and special operations. Founded alongside the Army's I7 and B7 programmes, N7 is the final level of military competency in naval infantry tactics._

_The role of N7s in the Navy requires absolute readiness on the part of the individuals in question. Dropped onto hostile territories for forward spotting and special operations, they are the tip of the spear for any Alliance planetary assault. Recon, sabotage, harassment of enemy forces, hostile boarding actions and the clearing of landing zones and anti-Titan weaponry are all within the purview of N7 duties. N7s are often called upon to make command decisions on the ground where higher command authorities cannot possibly be made aware of the facts on the ground in good time._

_N7s are typically trained as snipers or combat engineers, and have an impressive array of equipment suited to these roles, ranging from stealth armour through advanced sensors to a variety of explosives. Biotics are not typically chosen for the programme, as humanity is loathe to risk its relatively small number of biotic individuals in a dangerous role that does not necessarily require such talents, and the Army claims most biotics for their own programmes at any rate._

_However, N7s are frequently accompanied by biotics from the Army's B programme, often infantrymen from the First Legion. Typically, a standard Navy reconnaissance team will consist of an N7 in command, with a biotic and an infantry trooper (or combat engineer if the N7 is not qualified in that area) for support purposes. During missions that expect heavy resistance to Alliance forces, N7s will command N5s and N6s alongside specialised units as required. As N7 designation is a level of competency, and not a rank, the number of troops one can be expected to command varies between each individual graduate, but gaining the designation tends to lead to rapid promotion in the Navy._

**Codex: Rorsch Anti-Materiel Rifle (RAM-Rifle)**

_The Rorsch Anti-Materiel Rifle is an upgrade of pre-mass effect sabot railgun designs that human military forces developed more than a century before first contact. A break from the standard design philosophy of firearms in service with most forces, the RAM-rifle does not fire ammuniton by shaving a small slice off a metal block, but rather a much larger high density sabot round more akin to chemically fired bullets than modern rounds. _

_Used for extreme range engagements and anti-armour duties, each round must be individually reloaded as the mass effect generator required to fire such a large bullet without destroying the weapon precludes any automatic reload system. The weapon is also bulky and does not collapse for easy carrying like many other weapons. The advantage of the weapon is that it can effectively penetrate the infantry armour and kinetic barriers of any army in the galaxy, and is capable of doing so from extreme ranges in-atmosphere. With modified ammunition, it is also deployed in an anti-armour role against walkers and armoured vehicles. _

_The primary users of the weapon are the Alliance and various asari commando units, both of whom value its extreme range and damage output in their N7 and sniper units respectively. Krogan interest in the weapon lead to the Council banning weapons of the design for sale to anyone but state-sanctioned military units, but some older models have reached mercenary hands. The Batarian Hegemony developed a copycat weapon, and it became the only infantry-based weapon that could threaten the ubiquitous Riesig assault walkers deployed against them during the Skyllian Verge Conflict. _


	9. Chapter 7: Loyalty

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD:_

_So, I added the story of Torfan from Shepard's perspective to the prologue, and already it seems to have proven a hit. I always felt the timeline was a little dry and offputting, but couldn't really think of a good way to fix that until a few days ago. The more savvy of you will recognise a theme along the lines of Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot, as well as the Illusive Man's last words in ME3 (if you shoot him). Shepard's motivations as a soldier are a lot clearer now, I think, so if you haven't gone back and read the new section, I advise you to do so._

_Shoutout to Garm88 for noticing that I said "John" Shepard was born as opposed to Jane in the prologue. I was still deciding on gender when I was writing it, so it snuck in. Fixed now._

_The story seems to have blown away another set of milestones while I was writing as well, so I guess I'll put up another bonus chapter after numero 10. If you're confused about the background, characters or events going on, drop me a PM or a review and I'll do a codex entry for it in the bonus chapter._

_As for this chapter, it's a "exactly what it says on the tin" sort of one. _

_Enjoy._

**Chapter Seven: Loyalty**

Shepard yawned as she approached the bridge. It was four in the morning on the Normandy. The night watch were half-way through their shift, and straightened up awkwardly as they noticed their commanding officer on the deck. She smiled as she passed them. She knew the feeling of the mid-watch slump quite well, not to mention the jump provided by superiors showing up unexpectedly.

But she knew one flight lieutenant who wouldn't be perturbed by her arrival.

Joker was wide awake and watching the light fly by the bridge windows and glancing at the controls every now and then. The smell of coffee hit Shepard as she entered Lt. Moreau's realm. He glanced behind his chair as she peaked at the consoles.

"Commander," he said, turning back to face forwards.

"Lieutenant."

Then silence. At least for a moment. Until Joker could help himself no longer.

"So, how was Captain Mom? She kicked some pretty serious ass when you were planetside. I think it's a little too easy to see where you get it from."

"She was good. We hadn't talked in a while, so it was good to see her again," said Shepard, "And it's 'Group Captain' Mom now."

"Well, I'm still waiting for my own promotion," Joker said, waving his hand dismissively, "High Command must be waiting for the right moment."

"You would be demoted after a week," said Shepard playfully, "Between the lack of flying a ship and the non-regulation beard, you wouldn't last long."

"I figured I could keep flying and the fat paycheck. There are some who are good at what they do. I am the best at what I do. They gotta take that into account."

"They tend to get more uptight the higher in rank you rise, Joker."

"Awww. Ah well, I guess we all can't be paragons of military virtue. I think if the geth had any idea they would be facing both Shepards on Therum, they wouldn't have bothered turning up."

Shepard chuckled to herself.

"Is that really how you see me?"

"Oh, we all know you're far from a saint, but where the action goes, you can't seem to help yourself. I certainly wouldn't want to be your enemy, and I have a deadly war machine at my disposal."

"Good to know," said Shepard, somewhat less satisfied with his answer than she was hoping, "Anything to report before I go?"

"Yeah, Tali's been doing something with the engines and she knocked the kinks out big-time. I don't know what she did, but I'm feeling the difference up here. Plus those_ hips_. I think she's still awake actually, if you want to talk to her."

"Thanks, I think I'll do that," said Shepard, "And Joker, thanks for the rescue back there."

"Just trying to get famous, Commander.."

* * *

><p>The door of the cargobay opened, and Shepard stepped out into the space. It was far from quiet. The low hum noise of the engine was supplemented by one other source of sound. Wrex sat in a corner between a locker and the wall, leaning with his eyes firmly shut. His snoring was of a magnitude that scientists might be interested in studying. Why he wasn't in the crew quarters, the commander didn't know. He was certainly too big for the sleep pods.<p>

With a shrug, the Commander turned and made her way into the engine room.

The glow of the engine made Shepard wince for a moment as she went from the relative darkness of the cargobay to the stunning brightness of haptic interfaces and the generators. Adams was nowhere to be seen, probably asleep like most of the crew. A few ensigns were grouped about the FTL consoles, monitoring them.

Tali was working as well in her own corner. Something like a yawn erupted from the young quarian. Shepard approached.

"Tired, Tali?" she asked, causing a jump, "Nervous about tomorrow?"

"Oh, Shepard, I didn't hear you," said Tali, "I'm not nervous, it's just too quiet to sleep."

"Too quiet? Have you heard Wrex and his snoring? You could hear that on the bridge."

Tali giggled. "Krogan snoring isn't as comforting as knowing the air filters are still working. On the flotilla, if the ship is quiet, it means something is wrong. We grow up with the sounds of our ships, and get used to them. Some quarians even have problems living on planets during their pilgrimages because of it."

"I knew a couple of people like that," said Shepard, "But I can't say I ever lost sleep because the ship was too quiet, spacer or not."

"Most of our ships have been in service for many decades or centuries, I doubt you were living on anything more than a few decades old."

"We don't need to keep our ships in service that long, usually. You'd think a princess would have quieter quarters."

"Quarians don't have princesses," Tali said, a bit flustered, "I'm the daughter of an admiral, but we're governed by our ship captains as well as the Admiralty Board, and it's not like my father's position is hereditary. If anything, it's a burden, everyone expects me to bring something spectacular back to the fleet."

"Well, when we take Rannoch from the geth, maybe that will be good enough," said Shepard, half-muttering. Tali looked stunned, as far as could be told from body language.

"Do you really think the Alliance will go that far?"

"There's only one way to end this war, and that is to stop Saren and the geth. As long as the geth have somewhere to run off to, the Reapers will have an army to use against the galaxy whenever they want. The Alliance knows that."

"...I don't know what to say Shepard, to hear them speaking about my homeworld like it's a target..."

"Don't worry," said Shepard with a smile, "Destroying it is off the table, and besides, with you helping us, there will be a lot of grateful people in high places."

"Is that what you think the Alliance want to speak to me about?" Tali asked, rubbing her palms together, "Do they want me to try and get the Migrant Fleet to join the war?"

Shepard thought about the idea for a moment.

"I think they more likely want to know how you hacked a geth mech," said Shepard, vocalising her conclusion, "The politicians tend to have more official channels than the daughters of admirals for diplomacy. I mentioned how you saved our lives in my report, I guess people read it."

"I hope that's all it is, I'm not good with politics."

"Who is?" smiled Shepard, "Anyway, I just wanted to come down and see if there was anything you need?"

"Nothing comes to mind, I'm just happy to see all this. The Normandy is very advanced, it's no wonder the Alliance has come so far in such a short time."

"The turians helped, as did some technical assistance from your own fleet," said Shepard, moving beside Tali to watch the spinning drive core, "But she is beautiful."

The pair watched the core do its work for a minute.

"Shepard, I'd like to say... thanks."

"What for?"

"You've been very kind to me, you took me along on this even though you could have easily just dumped me on the Citadel or to your superiors."

"I need the best people for this war, Tali. When I saw how you handled yourself, I knew you were one of them."

"Still, thanks."

"You're part of my crew now, think nothing of it."

As Tali looked at her, Shepard pat the young quarian on the shoulder and left. It felt good to have people to rely on again.

* * *

><p>Shepard walked into the med-bay to see if Karen was awake, but found the room empty. Making to leave again, noises from the laboratory drew her ear. Who was messing around in there at this hour?<p>

She opened the door to the lab and found Dr T'soni hard at work, in a borrowed SR-1 medbay uniform. The asari was stretching her arms into the air when Shepard wandered over. Liara got up from her chair.

"Commander, I didn't hear you come in," she said, "Come to check up on me?"

"No, just wondering who's so busy back here," Shepard said, glancing at the interfaces, "You seem to be much better."

"Dr. Chakwas assures me I am going to be fine, she has an impressive knowledge of asari physiology."

"Karen has some of the best hands around, she knows what she is doing."

"...Commander, I know you took a chance bringing me aboard the ship, and I have seen the way some of your crew look at me. They do not trust me. But I am not like Benezia, I will do everything I can to help you stop Saren, I promise."

"You stopped a krogan from killing me, an experience like that tends to build up trust. I'm more than willing to give you the benefit of the doubt."

"I am glad to hear you say that, Commander."

Shepard leaned on the table, putting her weight on her palms as she inspected the writing in what she assumed was Prothean. She decided she needed to know more. Better safe than sorry.

"Tell me about yourself, Liara."

"I am afraid I am quite boring, Commander, I spend most of my time digging around in ruins in remote locations, finding usually mundane artefacts from Prothean sites."

"Sounds dangerous. And lonely. Considering how you handled yourself, I'm guessing it isn't the first time you've got into trouble?"

"Occasionally, I would run into indigenous lifeforms or get attacked by mercenaries or pirates, but I have always been very careful. Until the geth showed up on Therum, my biotics have been sufficient to handle any situation I have come across."

"Yeah, I got that impression," smirked Shepard.

"As for the solitude," continued Liara, taking Shepard's interruption as a compliment, "I am not very good with people. I feel that I need to get away from them sometimes."

"You don't like people?"

"I'm a Matriarch's daughter, they all expect me to follow in Benezia's footsteps and become a leader. I am more interested in the past... It sounds foolish when I say it out loud, as if I became an archeologist simply to spite my own mother."

Shepard smiled, knowing that feeling a little. Her own mother had mixed feelings about Alliance service, given that her father had died in it. Shepard for her part didn't want to do anything else.

"All children rebel against their parents at some point, it's natural."

Liara laughed slightly at that.

"You share the wisdom of the Matriarch. That is exactly what Benezia said when I told her I was going to study archeology. But it is about more than that, the Protheans are fascinating figures and we know so little about them despite owing them so much. I wanted to know everything I could about them."

The Commander almost stepped back, as Liara overflowed with enthusiasm.

"That is why I find you so fascinating, you were marked by the beacon on Eden Prime, touched by working Prothean technology!"

"I'm fascinating?" asked Shepard, "I've been told that before, but never in a 'dissect in a lab' sort of way."

"No! I did not mean to say... I never meant to offend... I only meant that you would be an interesting specimen for an in-depth study... Wait, that's even worse!"

"Relax Liara, it was a joke."

"Oh, Goddess, you must think I am a complete fool. This is why I get away in the field, I always have some embarrassing thing to say."

"It's fine, really. And don't worry, you're hardly the only person on this boat who has issues with your parents. My mother didn't want me to join the military, even though she loves it herself. You should talk to Tali as well, her father is an admiral and everyone knows it. Our ambassador even greeted her like she was a visiting dignitary when we first met."

"...Well, I suppose I have sisters in arms in that respect."

Now completely certain that Liara could not be in league with Saren and the geth, Shepard felt like she could finally sleep.

"We'll reach the Citadel in a couple of hours and I really need to rest. I'd like to learn more about your people some time. I've talked to other asari before, but they don't seem to have much to say on the subject. I should go for now."

"Well, there is a _good _reason for that," said Liara, her eyes drifting upwards in annoyance, "Goodnight, Commander."

* * *

><p>Shepard had dressed in a fresh formal uniform, anticipating the presence of those higher ranked than herself. The orders her mother had given mentioned something about a meeting with High Command, so it seemed appropriate. Ashley and Kaidan had went casual. Wrex and Tali were both in their usual armour and enviro-suit respectively, though that was hardly a surprise as they probably didn't have anything more formal. Liara was in a new set of Alliance fatigues, her university robes being all she had to wear when she came aboard. Garrus wore his C-Sec armour, which was formal enough supposedly. A motley band indeed. Everyone except Tali and Liara were given shore leave, so the rest went ahead. Garrus insisted on staying with Shepard however.<p>

The airlock sequence ended, and the hull plate swung away. The docking arm opened up as well, and the group marched out lead by Shepard. At the end of the corridor stood two figures in formalwear. One was the inevitable Ambassador Udina, the other was a very familiar face.

"Anderson!" said Shepard, pleasantly surprised, "It's good to see you, sir."

"My ship treating you well?" he asked, returning his former XO's salute before shaking her hand.

"Wouldn't be any other way. So, are you going to tell me why I've been ordered back here?"

Anderson turned to Udina. The ambassador smiled to himself.

"We have a meeting with the Council, it seems your own efforts and my work with the turians in particular has paid off," he explained in his unusual accent that Shepard still couldn't place, "They want to speak to you in particular. I think they're going to cave in, and grant you status as a Spectre."

Shepard's mouth nearly dropped open. The development was unexpected at the very least.

"If I might ask, why now?" asked Garrus. Udina looked slightly annoyed at the question.

"It has to do with the war. We're on the edge of breaking out on our own, and confronting us is a far more costly proposition than bringing us on side. They're afraid if they don't concede something small now, they'll lose us entirely. It has asari fingerprints all over it, but the biggest development has been your own people. The turian councillor has privately said to me that their government is actually impressed with how we've handled ourselves thus far, though obviously they are not happy about the security threat of provoking the Terminus."

"Um, excuse me," said Tali, "Can I ask why you asked me to be here?"

"We wanted to ask you a few things about quarian politics," said Anderson, "As well as ask if you could pass on a message for us. We don't know the current location of the Migrant Fleet, and we can't give sensitive information to just any pilgrim."

"And as a daughter of Admiral Zorah, I can be trusted to be discreet," concluded Tali, a hint of irritation entering her voice, "Okay, I can help."

"What about Liara?" asked Shepard, as the asari stepped forward, "The orders said to bring her too."

Anderson and Udina looked at each other, their faces turning sour. Something wasn't right.

"Is something amiss?" asked Liara, "I would like to help the Alliance stop Saren and my mother."

"Neither myself nor Group Captain Anderson ordered your presence here, Dr. T'soni."

"Then who did?" asked Shepard.

The elevator pinged, announcing its arrival. The doors slid open, revealing a squad of infantry in heavy armour standing together. The soldiers exited, and parted ways, revealing who they were escorting.

Karla Haider stepped towards them, wearing a long leather coat over her formal uniform, and fixing a high peaked cap emblazoned with the Alliance golden eagle on it in embroidery. Her hair was revealed to be black and in contrast to her previous holographic appearances, now flowed down to her shoulders as opposed to being tied back. Shepard was taken aback, not only by this appearance, but by the height of the woman. She was quite small, yet seemed a giant by force of personality alone.

Haider approached now, her escorts in tow.

"Anderson, Udina, good to see you in person at last," she said, nodding to them, "I see you've brought me my prize."

"Prize?" asked Shepard, "What do you mean prize, Colonel Haider?" The commander had almost failed to add the woman's rank. Talking about someone as if they weren't there was bad enough, but referring a member of the crew as an object was something else entirely. Shepard's hands balled into fists. Haider's eyes flickered downwards at them, and she smiled.

"_Major-General_ Haider, if you please," she replied, "And I would apologise to Dr. T'soni, but I've yet to determine whether or not she's working with her mass-murdering mother, so you'll excuse me if I'm less than polite at the moment."

Liara squirmed for a moment beside Shepard, the latter unable to determine if it was discomfort or anger causing the reaction. She opened her mouth to say something, but the Commander stopped her by gently grabbing her forearm. Wanting to say something very ill-advised, Shepard restrained the urge and thought quickly. She couldn't stay entirely quiet.

"General, I filed my report and it is accurate," she said, "Liara has no idea where Saren or Benezia are, and she has offered her help willingly to defeat the geth."

Haider looked at Liara now, tilting her head slightly.

"Yes, I read the report," she said, "But we can't simply take your word for it, Dr. T'soni. There is a process to this. We must know."

"...General," said Udina, disapprovingly, "Perhaps you should keep your personal feelings to yourself and do your duty."

"Oh relax, _Donnel_," said Haider, "I have orders to be gentle. Dr. T'soni, I must ask that you come with me."

Liara glanced at Shepard, before stepping forward.

"I will cooperate," she said solemnly, "I am not your enemy."

"Smart on both counts," remarked Haider, "I think we'll get along just fine."

"If she-.." began Shepard, before stopping.

"If she what?" asked Haider, as Liara was led away.

"I need her to take down Saren," said Shepard quickly.

"You have nothing to worry about if your report was accurate," said Haider, softening slightly, "But the burden of the security of the Alliance falls in no small part on my shoulders. I must have whatever intelligence she has, I simply must. Like I said, I have orders to be gentle and other methods aren't generally effective against asari. Satisfied?"

"Almost," said Shepard, feeling slightly relieved.

Haider left with her troops and Liara, a shuttle arriving to pick them up. The group piled into it quickly, and it flew off with a purpose.

"Brave woman," said Udina, as they watched the transport fly away.

"Dr. T'soni or Haider?" said Shepard, "I watched Liara drop a krogan like it was nothing not two days ago, and Haider knows all about it."

"What a magnificent bitch," remarked Garrus, his face clearly showing amusement at the audacity of the intelligence officer. Tali hmmed her agreement on that count.

"I'm sorry, Shepard," said Anderson, "I knew that was coming, but Haider outranks me by a mile."

"She outranks me now as well," said Udina, extremely irritated at the fact, "Intelligence agencies tend to gather power to themselves that only a madman would cross, especially in wartime."

"I hope Liara will be alright," said Tali, "I wouldn't feel comfortable with this if she was hurt."

"She won't be," said Udina with certainty, obviously trying to preserve Tali's good graces, "It would be unforgiveably stupid, and while the General is many things, stupid is not among them."

They all looked at each other, hoping that was the case.

"Right Shepard, let's see what the Council want with us, shall we?" Udina added after a moment.


	10. Chapter 8: Authority

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD: _

_The story broke another milestone, you guys are great! Keep the views and reviews coming, it really motivates me to write. I have a couple of spoiler propaganda posters done up for the more adventurous of you that will be posted to my profile with the bonus chapter after chapter 10, as a thank you to you all. I'll probably use one of them as the cover image for Battlefield 2185._

_Shoutout to StarSerpent for his incredibly detailed set of reviews. He's pointed out a lot of things I already planned to address, the man was right on the money in terms of where I plan to take it. Ridiculously so in the case of two particular points. Well, except for the Starcraft stuff haha!_

_This chapter's been done for days, I just haven't had the time to edit it._

_Hope I don't disappoint, enjoy the chapter!_

**Chapter 8: Authority**

Shepard was on edge as she waited in the lobby of the Council Tower for the councillors to arrive. She glanced down at her uniform, and fidgeted with the collar, convinced it wasn't straight. A few seconds later and she finished, still unsatisfied with the result. Stopping herself from repeating the action, she shifted her weight from her left foot onto her right, trying to get comfortable. Liara was in danger, and if she didn't act soon, she would lose the confidence of her crew.

Anderson looked at her, moving his eyes off the news monitors.

"Nervous about the Council?" he asked softly, "Don't be, I have your back and so does Udina."

Shepard snorted, amused at the very suggestion. She turned her head away from the stairs to the lift, and flicked her hair back into place.

"There isn't much the Council can do to get under my skin now," Shepard said, "It's everything else. The fact we're sitting here while Saren and the geth are out there, a member of my crew being in the custody of _that_ woman, the whole damn war, and the worst thing, the Reapers."

"You're one woman, Shepard," said Anderson, "No matter how good a soldier you are, it isn't just your fight. Mobilising the kind of effort we need to do stop Saren and the geth will take time. Be patient, we'll get it done."

Shepard smiled, unable to suppress it. Anderson could read her like a book, and always knew what to say. She nodded to herself for a moment, the need to fidget gone.

"Your optimism is infectious, sir," she said finally.

"So is yours, if your crew is any evidence," Anderson replied, "Your report from Therum made for interesting reading. Getting crewmates with backgrounds like theirs all working together is an achievement. Alliance brass was very pleasantly surprised, though there are still many who are unhappy about having so many aliens on board our most advanced vessel."

Shepard frowned, and looked at the various diplomatic staffers wandering around or resting on benches among the blossoming trees. How peaceful it seemed there.

"I don't have optimism, I just care about my crew," said Shepard, "As for the aliens, Saren's plans threaten everyone, not just humans. And they're good people, Anderson, every one of them."

The news monitor's image changed from a silent ticker of items written in various languages, to a broadcast. A caption scrolled across the screen, again in multiple languages; _ANZAC Parade, Canberra, Australia, Earth. _A military parade came into view, lead by a v-formation of walkers walking steadily up a tree-lined promenade towards a domed building. The lead walker stood out, two blue flags with stars on them billowing from long antennae. Behind the armoured mechs, a huge body of soldiers marched in perfect formation. It was sunny, and the swords of the officers glinted in the light.

"The Army do love to put on a show," remarked Anderson, watching as the walkers split into two groups as they passed a raised marquee, "The Australians called up their reserves on their own, as soon as news of Eden Prime came through, formed a whole new legion out of the blue."

Shepard regarded the formations, entranced by the choreography for a moment.

"We'll need every one of them, sir," she said, looking away from the screen as if it had tried to hypnotise her, "Where the hell is Udina?"

"Watch your tone, Shepard," said the ambassador, approaching from behind with Tali and Garrus, "I'm not enjoying myself in your absence."

Shepard's heart leapt for a moment, and she turned around on reflex to face the man.

"My apologies, Ambassador."

"Don't bother, it took longer than I thought it would as well," scowled Udina, "High Command is gathering to talk to Tali'Zorah about the quarians, but it will take some time. For the moment, the Council is ready to meet with us."

The Ambassador began towards the Council chamber itself, and Anderson took his leave.

"Good luck, Shepard," he said, moving quickly away.

Tali fell in beside Shepard, and the Commander smiled, happy to see her.

"I hope this isn't going to be an interrogation," said the quarian.

"We'll just have to go and see," Shepard said, taking the first step up.

"I don't think I've seen the diplomats so on edge up here before," said Garrus from behind, "Something is up."

"Then let's hope it's good news for us," replied Shepard, "And for it to go quickly, Liara is still with Haider."

* * *

><p>The light of the purple haze from the nebula illuminated the Council from behind as Shepard approached the speaker's rostra. All three of the councillors seemed to be in good spirits. The Commander almost had to look again. The sight was unnerving to say the least.<p>

Udina lead the way.

"Councillors, you summoned Shepard and here she is," said Udina, "May I ask now what this meeting is about?"

Both the turian and salarian representatives turned to Councillor Tevos. Shepard's eyebrows inched slightly higher as the asari began to speak.

"Ambassador Udina, you have been withholding vital information from us," she said firmly, with every indication that she was enjoying herself, "Your government uncovered information from the geth about Saren's intentions, and you opted not to share it. We demand an explanation."

Shepard's heart dropped. They had found out about the Reapers. She opened her mouth to try and explain, but Udina beat her to the punch.

"And what information might that be?" the ambassador asked coolly, "All relevent information on Saren was given to you at the previous hearing."

A burst of exasperation erupted from Councillor Valern, before he began doing something with his omnitool.

"Care to explain this?" said Valern, as a holographic projection began.

An Alliance report on the Reapers appeared, and the salarian began to read the more potent sections.

"_Likelihood of existence of Reapers high. Visions received on Eden Prime by Commander Shepard only the tip of the iceberg. Dr. T'soni's research useful in piecing together exact path of the destruction of Prothean civilisation as well as the timescale for the reappearance of the Reapers. Recommend highest alert of Alliance military forces indefinitely. Saren most likely seeking Conduit in order to cripple human military forces, in order to facilitate the return of the Reapers. _Defence Intelligence Directorate._" _he said aloud.

"Where did you get this?" asked Udina, his voice rising now, "That is a highly classified military report."

"Where we got it is irrelevent, we have it now and we demand to know why you did not inform us that you had more information than simply a recording of Saren," said Sparatus, "If you have evidence for the existence of these Reapers, we would like to hear it. Commander Shepard, what is this about a vision?"

Shepard looked at Udina, searching for an indication of what to do.

"You best tell them everything," the ambassador growled, "They seem to have a source somewhere, they might as well hear it directly."

Shepard stepped forward. Her voice caught in her throat for a moment. She did not want to recall the images that had been blasted into her mind, nor did she think the Council would believe her.

"The beacon transferred a vision into my head, before it was destroyed. It was the Protheans being destroyed by the Reapers. The images are … too disturbing to describe. Genocide on a mass scale, fleets swept aside, lots of bodies ... too many bodies. Saren is working with them and the geth believe they are gods, which is why Saren is able to command the geth."

Shepard paused, waiting for the Council's response.

"And this is why you mobilised your entire military?" asked Sparatus, incredulously.

"We take threats to our existence very seriously Councillor," said Udina, "And we believe the evidence. The Reapers are coming and the geth are their puppets. They must be neutralised!"

"Preposterous! If the Reapers existed, where have they been for fifty thousand years?" asked Valern, "Saren is using the beliefs of the geth to control them for his own ends, obviously."

"It doesn't matter if the Reapers are real at this point," said Udina, his tone softening, "The geth attacked us. Regardless of why, the Alliance has an obligation to defend its citizens to the best of its ability. We could destroy the geth in a single stroke if you would only help us!"

"I'm afraid the Citadel fleets will not move against the geth no matter how many times you ask, Ambassador," said Tevos, her eyes hard now.

Shepard noticed Sparatus become uncomfortable at the asari's words, as he shifted his weight. Did he disagree with the other two councillors on helping the Alliance?

"We don't know enough about the geth's capabilities," said Valern, "Attacking them head-on would be too costly."

"Failing to neutralise them would be even more costly," Shepard said, "We can work together on this, councillors."

The three politicians looked between each other for a moment.

"I'm afraid we cannot risk provoking a war with the Terminus Systems as well," said Tevos, "An attempt to go to the Veil in force would result in a conflict flaring up in the rear of any assault."

"Then we shall do what we feel necessary on our own," said Udina, "Like any one of your own species would do in our situation."

The ambassador made to leave, nodding to Shepard to follow suit. She sighed, and began to turn away.

"Wait, we did not call this meeting simply to point out your lack of cooperation," Tevos continued.

Udina returned to his place. Shepard could have sworn she had seen a ghost of a smile on the man's face as he turned back.

"Commander Shepard, we have decided to accept you as a Spectre of the Citadel Council," Sparatus said solemnly.

The Commander fell into a state of astonishment. The unexpected reversal of what she thought was coming made her heart swell with pride. Reason quickly reasserted itself when she realised they were waiting for her to speak.

"I am honoured, councillors," she said, the words sticking in her throat again, "Surprised, but honoured."

"Ambassador Udina was kind enough to provide the mission report on Therum, your handling on that matter was noted. As was your crew's contribution," said Tevos, " We feel we need a human representative on the Spectres now more than ever."

"Not least because your superiors seem determined to ride over every procedure in existence," added Sparatus, "Given your history, we were reluctant before, but your actions over the past few days have proven to us that you can be trusted to safeguard every species, not just humanity."

Shepard felt relieved, and stood up a little straighter. The councillors had got wind of her new crewmates and how well they had worked together. She smiled, realising that she herself had been pleasantly surprised by that. The brass weren't happy about aliens on the Normandy, but Anderson and Udina had backed her all the way. She raised her voice.

"Councillors, I will do everything in my power to safeguard the peoples of this galaxy from the threats against them," said Shepard with a great deal more confidence, "Saren will pay, I swear it."

Another exchange of glances between the councillors, as if an unspoken conversation was occurring. Shepard suppressed a frown, afraid they didn't like that addition. She need not have bothered.

"Very well, step forward Shepard," said Tevos, "Open the chamber to the lobby."

Udina stepped aside for the Commander, holding his arm out with a look of grim satisfaction on his face. Shepard took a pace forward onto the ambassador's place, as the balconies around the chamber began to fill with people.

As she waited, Shepard's mind went inevitably back to Torfan. Standing among the corpses once again, the walker blinding her with spotlights, Earth fluttering on a black sky on the flag atop the pole. How far she had come.

"It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel..."

* * *

><p>The Presidium was a magnificent place. Artificial sky, elegant architecture, beautiful flora, cultured people from all over the galaxy. The balcony provided a great view of all these things.<p>

On any other day, General Karla Haider would have felt right at home. Instead, she was conducting the most boring interrogation in the history of humanity. As she lifted her cup of coffee to her lips, her earpiece buzzed affirmatives. The asari across from her had no qualms about pouring any information she needed out into the open. The analysis equipment hidden discreetly throughout the room could detect no sign of deception.

As Dr. T'soni repeated the story of what happened on Therum before Shepard came, for the third time, Haider found her mind wandering. She regretted being unable to bring the asari to a more capable facility, preferably on Earth. Not to mention being unable to use some of the more advanced methods for interrogation developed by the biological weapons division, that was also galling. The General had been ordered to play nice, so she had to make do with a standard repetition interview with biometric analysis instead. Probably for the best, given that the subject's biotic capabilities were somewhere between that of an elite vanguard and that of an asari matriarch.

"Right, stop," said Haider, finally succumbing to the instinct that the woman in front of her was barely capable of lying, "Let's talk about something new."

"But I..."

"Let's talk about Shepard," Haider interrupted, refilling her coffee, "Why are you so eager to help her?"

This should be more entertaining, she thought, as the asari picked up her own cup and drank.

"My mother is involved in one of the worst atrocities in the history of the galaxy, Shepard is determined to find her," said Liara, "She is also the only person in the galaxy who has ever successfully integrated her mind with a Prothean beacon, think of what we could learn!"

The analysis VI informed the General of some low level deception, a possible omission. Haider's eyebrow raised at the information, and decided to push further.

"You do realise that when Shepard finds your mother, she may be forced to kill her," Haider continued, "And I suppose you are just fine with that?"

Liara set down her cup.

"I have many fond memories of my mother. When I was a child, she seemed like the most beautiful woman in the world," Liara said sadly, "I do not know why she is working with Saren, but if she is truly involved in what happened on Eden Prime, the mother I knew may already be dead. She has been … distant for the past few years, I do not know why. I am certain that it has something to do with all this. I cannot explain why, it is a feeling."

Haider smirked, and took a large gulp of coffee in preparation for the next question. The interrogation VI chirped positives into her ear, the asari was telling the truth. Now they were getting somewhere.

"So, you have no problem with the Systems Alliance ordering your own mother's death?"

"Of course I have a problem with it!" Liara said loudly, "But I need to find out why my mother is doing this and stop her!"

Still no deception. Haider grimaced, unhappy that she hadn't found the source yet. The VI informed her that the next procedure was to eliminate personal bias as the source of the deception.

"I believe you," said Haider, more softly now, "Which leaves just one question."

"Thank the Goddess," Liara replied, sitting more comfortably now.

"Is your willingness to follow Shepard more than a wish to find your mother or out of some academic desire to study her?" asked Haider, as politely as she could muster, "What do you think of Shepard personally?"

The VI began reporting signs of mild distress, and her own eyes confirmed it. Dr. T'soni was flabbergasted by the question entirely, trying to figure out what to say. Haider smiled, her question seen to wordlessly. The asari began babbling, but the general simply held up her hand to quiet her.

"It's alright, you've already answered," Haider sighed in mock empathy, "I think we're done here."

_Click._

Haider turned to see Shepard decloaking, anger on the soldier's face and a pistol in her hand held at hip height. The barrel pointed directly at the general's face.

"Yes, you are done here," Shepard said, calmly.

"Ah, Commander Shepard," said Haider, "Good of you to join us."

"_Spectre _Shepard, if you please," said the woman with every indication that she was enjoying the experience.

Haider couldn't help herself. A giggle bubbled up out of her throat, which turned into a laugh, which turned into a roar. The general threw her head back and tears welled up in her eyes. The soldier had fed her own line back to her.

"Touché, Shepard," said Haider, wiping her eyes, "I guess Udina's gambit of letting all those aliens onto the Normandy worked after all. It's good to see your sense of humour is intact."

"Are we going to have a problem here?" asked Shepard, in what Haider assumed was her number one menacing voice.

"None whatsoever. I conducted the interview in a civilised manner," replied the General, "I am perfectly convinced now that Dr. T'soni here will eat her own guts for breakfast in the name of the _Pax Humana_, and you're free to take her on your little crusade."

Shepard lowered her pistol, and her expression changed from approaching wrath to interested concern. Haider watched as she turned to Dr. T'soni.

"Come on Liara, let's get out of here," she said, her voice changed as much as her expression, "I know somewhere we can find much better company."

Liara smiled at Shepard, and stood up to go. It was so transparent now to Haider that the former had feelings for the latter, there would be no question of loyalty. Given Shepard's reputation, the newly appointed Spectre would turn the asari into a hardened fighter in the name of the Alliance for the coming war. The General felt her confidence rise in her chest.

"Wait, there's one more thing," said Haider, causing Liara to glare.

"What is that?" asked Shepard wearily.

"Good luck, of course," smiled Haider, laying on the cheek as best she could by lifting her cup in a mock salute. She doubted Saren would ever be found, finding one person with his skills in an entire galaxy was very difficult to say the least. However, if anyone found the turian bastard, she hoped that it would be Shepard.

The woman herself just shook her head in disbelief, and left with her new crewmate.

Haider watched the pair exit through the door as she finished her coffee. The report on this one for the Consuls and High Command would require some finesse.


	11. Chapter 9: The Calm

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD: _

_A quick chapter wrapping up the Citadel stuff, the next chapter will be the bonus one with codex entries on a good number of things that have come up so far. The posters will be put up with chapter ten, which will be the start of the Feros act._

_For the record, I am on #TeamTali..._

_Enjoy._

**Chapter 9: The Calm**

Tali sat in the human embassy, across from the holographic projectors. She squeezed one hand with the other, waiting for what was to come. She wanted to leave, take Vakarian and get out. From the moment she had met Shepard, she had been treated like some sort of plenipotentary of the quarian people by the humans. She wasn't.

When she had asked Ambassador Udina about this, he had simply shrugged and said that the Migrant Fleet had no representative on the Citadel. He had the good grace to apologise for the inconvenience, but Tali didn't feel one bit better about the situation for it. She just wanted to help.

Shepard herself had run off to save Dr. T'soni from the clutches of General Haider, but Garrus had insisted on accompanying Tali, saying something along the lines of knowing what humans were like sometimes. The Commander had shrugged with a half-smile on her face, as if acknowledging it, and then off she went. The turian, for his part, was waiting outside the main office now for the meeting to end.

So, it would be safe to say, Tali felt somewhat sick when the holograms of three military officers popped up. It had been two hours of waiting. The young quarian stood up.

The first was an older human male in a formal uniform, the second was a middle-aged female in a set of camouflage pattern fatigues, and the third was Alice Dennison, the consul.

"Admiral, Marshal, Consul," Udina began, "This is Ambassador Zorah."

Tali's eyes opened wide, the diplomat's words hitting her hard.

"I am not an ambassador, I'm just on my pilgrimage..." she began, holding both her hands in front of her, as if to stop the title physically from touching her.

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, the Consuls and High Command of the Systems Alliance don't relay classified information to anyone less than an ambassador," the consul said with a smile, "It's a mere formality, accept it so we can move on. Please."

"Ah.. Okay, but..."

"Good, this will be a quick rendezvous," continued Dennison, "This is Admiral Hackett of the Fifth Fleet and Field Marshal deRuyter of Troop Command Europa, the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

The other female, deRuyter, simply nodded her greeting. The male human went further.

"It's good to meet you Miss Zorah, Commander Shepard's reports on you are glowing," said Hackett, "I hope you continue to work well with her."

Tali nodded rapidly.

"Yes, she is a wonderful commander, I hope so too," she said nervously, "Umm, so what do you need to know?"

"Do you know much about the previous attempts by the Migrant Fleet to retake your homeworld?" asked DeRuyter, "According to what we know, three times you tried to return to Rannoch, and three times you failed."

An overwhelming sadness covered Tali as if draped on her like a cloak. It was true, her people had tried desperately to go home and three times the Council had almost declared war on the flotilla themselves as the attacks were repulsed by the geth with ease. The other species wanted to avoid provoking the geth at all costs, at least until humanity came along, leaving the quarians as a broken and homeless people. She swallowed the shame as best she could, before continuing.

"Yes, we tried to retake our homeworld, twice soon after we were forced to evacuate and once more about a century ago," she said slowly, "Since then, the Conclave has decided against trying to attack and the Admiralty Board has thought it suicidal. The Council made us agree never to attack again after the third attempt failed."

"So the quarians have no intention of retaking their homeworld?" asked Hackett.

"When I left the flotilla, we didn't," said Tali, "My father has always advocated it, but he was always in the minority. We just aren't strong enough on our own."

Hackett frowned for a reason Tali couldn't figure out, while Dennison looked thoughtful for a moment. What did these humans really want?

"You seem to have highly effective electronic countermeasures against geth mechs, can those not be applied to help your cause?" asked DeRuyter.

"They only work on geth units for a small period of time, and the more units in a platform there are, the less effective hacking is," Tali explained, "Hacking ships is not possible, and even the larger classes of geth mechs cannot be successfully disrupted for more than a second or two."

"If you're willing, we'd like to see what you have anyway," asked Hackett, "Any advantage is better than no advantage."

"Does our declaration of war change things?" asked Dennison, moving the conversation back to a subject she was obviously more comfortable with.

"I don't know, it's possible," said Tali, "The flotilla has a positive attitude towards humans because of the agreement we signed, but I don't think they believe you'll fight the geth to the bitter end."

"We'll see about that," declared DeRuyter proudly, "My girls and boys won't rest until the geth are laying at our feet, shattered."

Dennison rolled her eyes, lifting Tali's spirits slightly.

"You'll have to excuse the general, she was promoted for her competence in battle, not her tact," said the consul, glancing at the officer in question as she did so, "As the batarians discovered to their cost."

Tali didn't know what to say to that. The field marshal was smiling as if she had just been complimented, but Tali didn't think what had been said was intended as that. Humans could be so strange sometimes.

"Anyway, we might as well get to the real point of why you're here," said Dennison finally, "I've heard enough. Hackett, brief her."

"Yes, ma'am."

The consul's image disappeared from the communicator, followed a moment later by the field marshal. The admiral hesitated for a moment.

"I apologise if my colleagues were overzealous," said Hackett, "Sometimes, I think half of the animosity humanity faces from other species is due to our own lack of manners."

"It's okay," said Tali, appreciating the thought, "I just didn't expect to be questioned about the homeworld is all."

"A sad subject for you, I'm sure, but the field marshal wasn't lying when she said we're in this for absolute victory," said Hackett, "This war will end either with humanity's destruction or the liberation of Rannoch."

Tali's hopes rose. Shepard had said the same thing, and she believed it, but it was something else entirely to hear it from the most senior Alliance officer in the galaxy. Maybe she would see the homeworld after all.

"Is that the message you want me to pass to my father?" she asked.

"Not exactly, although we don't object to it," Hackett continued, "Our message is more specific. Are you familiar with the former quarian colony of Ket'osh?"

"It was the furthest colony from Rannoch, and the last to fall to the geth," said Tali sadly, "But they abandoned it, and before we could reclaim it, pirates and corporations moved in and the Council prevented us from attacking in order to avoid a war with the Terminus Systems."

"Well, the geth have reoccupied it and the Alliance means to take it," said Hackett, "There is a sophisticated tracking array there that cannot be left in geth hands. It isn't inhabited by humans, so we can't spare the troops to hold the whole planet. We have the whole Traverse to defend and our army is still mobilising. We would like the Migrant Fleet to reoccupy it once we have eliminated the geth there, inform them they can return as soon as the news breaks that we've retaken it."

Tali was surprised. She thought the message would be a formal offer of alliance between humanity and the quarians, but it was a lot less important than that.

"You aren't going to request the flotilla's help against the geth?" asked Tali.

"Not at this time," said Hackett, "This is our fight, for now."

"I can pass your message on, Admiral," Tali said, unhappy about the lack of detail, "But why are you doing this? You could defend your worlds and leave the geth in the Veil, the Council would probably help you."

"Many reasons, Miss Zorah," said Hackett, "But if I had to choose one, I would say it was because we are human."

Tali couldn't help but grin under her helmet. Once upon a time, she would have been confused at the admiral's statement, but a week with the Commander had educated her on the subject of humanity. Their determination approached insanity, if Jane Shepard was any example. They were an all or nothing species. No wonder the Council feared them.

"I think I'm beginning to understand what people mean by that," said Tali, as her omnitool started beeping.

* * *

><p>Liara waited quietly in the taxi as it made its way from the Presidium. The smell of old-leather drifted in the air, as Shepard leaned forward and directed the driver. The sights and smells were hypnotising. She found her eyes wandering for a moment, onto the blood red hair of the Commander. She had never laid sight on anything like it before meeting Shepard. It seemed to flow off the top of the human's head like a waterfall, splashing onto her shoulders. The colour seemed beautiful and ominous at the same time.<p>

Shepard sat back now, and Liara scrambled to look anywhere else.

"Is something wrong?" Shepard asked, looking at Liara now with some concern.

Liara glanced at the human quickly. Almost luminous green eyes stared back. Panic began to set in. She had noticed.

"Nothing at all," Liara replied as calmly as she could muster, "I am just very glad to be away from the General and her questioning."

Shepard's expression hardened, her eyes going from open to slightly closed and her mouth tightening. Liara watched captivated. Why did this woman care so much?

"I am sorry we did not give you a good first impression," said Shepard, "But I hope you'll be more comfortable on the Normandy."

"My first impression of you was of a geth that had been trying to kill me exploding into pieces and you saving me," said Liara, the edges of her mouth lifting into a small smile, "I do not think a few hard questions are going to form an impression over than that."

Shepard grinned now, her eyes looking upwards. Liara watched them. She wondered what that meant.

"That was a good shot," said Shepard finally, her eyes returning to meet Liara's own.

Liara let out an exasperated sigh. She had almost forgot that Shepard was a soldier and so was quite at home in combat, but she sensed something else. The bravado felt hollow to her. She put the thought aside, reminding herself to ask later in a more appropriate setting, and turned her attention to the here and now.

"So, where are we going?" asked Liara.

"Zakera Ward," Shepard replied, "Lieutenant Alenko and Chief Williams are holding down the fort in a spot the Alliance Army likes with Wrex."

Liara frowned. Socialising was not her preferred activity, drinking even less so.

"Don't worry, it's a quiet enough place," Shepard said in a reassuring tone, "Cozy is how Ashley put it, I think."

Liara was not reassured however. She barely understood humans, never mind negotiating the social cues of a krogan mercenary who had been drinking. She crossed her arms and turned to watch the skyline fly by. It calmed her.

Suddenly, Shepard's omnitool started beeping, strobing red light filling the skycar's rear compartment.


	12. Codex: Karla Haider & Other Entries

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD:_

_So here's the bonus chapter for passing the big 100 mark on both followers and favourites, as well as expanding the universe. The posters will go up with the next full chapter as a thank you for reaching 150 followers. Not sure why more people follow than favourite, but I guess the story is far from complete, so it makes some sort of sense._

_The codex entries today will be Karla Haider's backstory, the much-mentioned Human-Quarian Accord, the 13__th__ Legion that stormed Torfan with Shepard, and a more general article on human colonisation._

_Had a lot of fun with this as well, I hope you all enjoy it!_

**Codex: Karla Haider**

_Karla Haider is a Major-General in the Systems Alliance Army and intelligence liason to the Consuls. Born in 2150 in Berlin as Karla von Habsburg, she is the sole heir to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, the pretenders to the throne of Austria. As almost the entire family of the von Habsburgs died and their property was destroyed when PAC forces captured Austria in the Cold War, Haider was educated in France. After studying law and political science in various European and American universities, she joined the Alliance Army via the Direct Entry Officer programme and was assigned to the Legio XXI Germania as an air assault officer under her mother's maiden name._

_Haider saw her first action during the retaliatory assault on Anhur by the Alliance against the batarian slavers, distinguishing herself by predicting where enemy counterattacks would arrive as well as leading her platoon to capture an enemy headquarters entirely intact. This lead to a transfer to the 21st Legion's staff intelligence group. During the course of the Verge Conflict, she was rapidly promoted for her uncanny ability to read the enemy and astute intelligence analysis. She lead the team that eventually identified Torfan as the source of enemy pirate attacks in 2178._

_After the ceasefire with the batarians, Haider was again transferred, this time to the Defence Intelligence Directorate as a military staffer. Her activities during this time are highly classified, but a whistleblower eventually identified her as a key figure in the foiled assassination of Alice Dennison, then the leader of the opposition and head of the conservative People's Party. When the election of August 2182 placed Dennison in power as part of a grand-coalition government with Alexander deBankole's Labour Party, Haider was appointed official intelligence liason for the consuls._

_Karla Haider's formal titled address is Her Imperial & Royal Highness, Karla von Habsburg, Imperial Princess and Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Jerusalem, Royal Princess of Hungary and Bohemia._

* * *

><p><strong>Codex: The Human-Quarian Accord<strong>

_The Treaty of Rayya, or the Human-Quarian Accord as it is more commonly known, is a diplomatic agreement between the Systems Alliance and the Quarian Migrant Fleet for a variety of purposes. It was signed in early 2173, after human attempts to force a more proactive policing regime in the Attican Traverse from the Citadel Council failed. The Alliance realised that it alone would more than likely have to secure its colonies from pirate attacks as well as aggression by the Batarian Hegemony, but human technical mastery of the various technologies required to compete was still lacking. With the turians still playing hardball, the Migrant Fleet seemed the best option._

_Negotiations were launched in mid-2172, and the terms of the treaty were more comprehensive than either negotiating government originally intended. At first, the proposal was for a straight exchange of technical knowledge for two of the Alliance's new Niké-class carriers that were then under construction. However, the need to integrate the new technologies, laws on immigration and security preventing access to territory, the lack of a lasting accord leaving the Alliance open to attack from ships it built itself, and a political will to upstage the Council species all converged to create an ever more complex treaty._

_In the end, the Alliance gained all the technological assistance it wanted, a joint technical education programme for the training of human and quarian engineers, and a technology sharing agreement. The Migrant Fleet gained a visa agreement whereby all quarians on their pilgrimage had the right to claim permanent residency on any Alliance colony, a diplomatic assistance and security agreement that allowed any quarian to use human diplomatic services, and a ship-building agreement. The original proposal for two Niké-class carriers was scrapped in favour of three Aphrodite-class colony ships after the Alliance Parliament objected to arming other species with capital ships. The quarians accepted this change mainly due to the fact that the two classes of ship were almost identical bar their equipment load, and they required room more than weaponry at the time of the agreement._

_The treaty was criticised when it was signed in the human media as being too favourable to the quarians, but these concerns were soon swept aside when the technical optimisations allowed the Alliance military to crush opposing batarian forces with contemptuous ease. The agreement also pushed the turians into a technical cooperation project with the Alliance, as human technical expertise threatened to surpass that of the Hierarchy. The Treaty was signed on the Quarian liveship Rayya by Consul Taro, and has been considered a case study in foreign affairs history ever since._

* * *

><p><strong>Codex: Legio XIII Borealis<strong>

_Legio XIII Borealis is the thirteenth legion of the Systems Alliance Army, composed of task force elements from Sweden, Canada, Ireland, Norway, Finland, and the Baltic states. It is the spiritual successor of the EU's Nordic Battlegroup and the Quebec units of the Canadian Army. The reputation of the legion is one of ruthlessness and cunning, with a well earned expert-status in urban warfare as well as on irregular terrain. _

_The legion is said to be unlucky and full of rebels due to its name and the history of the units assigned to it. When the legion system was being organised, there was some debate as to whether or not the number 13 should be skipped in the command structure. This was due to both associations with the old Earth superstition around the number, as well as the historical precedent of Caesar's Thirteenth Legion marching on Rome and ending the Roman Republic once and for all. Eventually such considerations were dismissed, but the moniker of it being the "Rebel Legion" stuck after French-Canadian, Irish and Baltic units were assigned to it._

_Its history after formation did nothing to change its reputation. During the attack on Anhur, it suffered heavier casualties than any of the other six legions assigned to the campaign and accusations of summary executions of slaveholders were laid at its feet. It later was selected for the operation against the pirates on Torfan, during which it suffered horrendous casualties and killed the batarians to the last man despite general orders to the contrary, solidifying the notion that it was both unlucky and rebellious. Despite these circumstances, the legion is well regarded by many sections of Alliance High Command, as it gets the job done at any cost and its soldiers have a hardened attitude. It is a political hot potato however, with more dovish elements of the Alliance Parliament occasionally demanding its dissolution or restructure and hawkish elements backing its actions._

* * *

><p><strong>Codex: Human Colonisation<strong>

_Colonisation of garden worlds by humanity has happened at a pace that has astonished every other spacefaring species. With Earth still under serious strain due to cold conditions, the Systems Alliance has long prioritised colonisation efforts and has no lack of volunteers. Humanity now possesses hundreds of colonial settlements, with hundreds of thousands leaving Earth every year. This has not threatened to depopulate Earth however, as the space freed up by colonists emigrating has allowed opportunities for those staying behind as well. _

_The practicals of colonisation are generally handled as a public-private partnership, with private companies, cooperatives or community groups being assigned the rights to colonise areas and the government pitching in the cost for making such colonies viable. Illegal settlement is dealt with harshly, as only chartered colonies have legal title to the land they settle under Alliance law. This has lead to a rash of unrecognised colonies further out from Alliance space. Many of these were once located in the Skyllian Verge, but came under Alliance control after the conflict in that region ended. Now, the majority of independent colonies are in the Terminus Systems, and show no signs of slowing there as the Alliance continues its far more orderly colonisation of the Attican Traverse. _

_Since the development of hostile human-batarian relations, the Alliance colonisation programme has included the construction of huge colony ships, designed for the rush for the Verge worlds but now operated in every theatre of human expansion. Their designs are essentially the same as Alliance Navy carriers, but lack the fighter launch and recovery capabilities of those vessels and instead have far larger passenger capacities, larger holds and heavy lift shuttles for deployment of colonial equipment. The Turian Hierarchy has criticised the construction of such ships from the beginning, theorising that they could be converted into fleet and escort carriers essentially at the drop of a hat. The Alliance however has continued the building programme for such ships, saying that size restrictions on cargo vessels do not exist and arming them in a time of war is not illegal under Citadel law._


	13. Chapter 10: The Storm Arrives

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD:  
>Big chapter, and the first of Feros' arc. Going ever more off the tracks in terms of the canon now. Could have AUed it entirely and put all of it somewhere else, but frankly I find Feros to be very interesting as a setting, so it stayed in. Can't say the same for Noveria, but we'll see.<em>

_Oh, and humanity invented thermal clips in this canon. Because we're awesome._

_As promised, three new posters are up on my profile page for breaking the 150 follower mark. Two are spoiler posters, one for this story and one for the next one, and a third is another recruitment poster I whipped up on a whim. _

_Shoutout to Midweekcomic13 for correct use of the word 'feck' in a review (a very Irish word) and for a correct conclusion on where the turians can put their objections to human shipbuilding projects. HFY._

_Hope you like where I'm going with this, enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten: The Storm Arrives<strong>

"_As of tonight, nineteen colonies of the Systems Alliance are under geth assault in the Attican Traverse. It is not yet known why colonies in the Terminus Systems have not been attacked, but we have warned these settlements. After our triumph over the skies of Therum, we anticipated a counterattack. We denied the geth what they sought most, an easy victory and a human race that stood by while it was attacked. Instead, we have taught them that we will not go quietly into the night. _

_This latest set of atrocities is their response. We stand at the highest defence condition, ready for action. All fifty one legions have been mobilised, and all fleets are as of this moment transporting our troops to defend our colonies. Volunteers for service have filled our recruitment offices, and there are now more humans under arms than at any other time in our history..."_

Shepard turned off the news clip of Consul deBankole with a tap of her omnitool, and turned to face the others in the briefing room. She tried to soften her expression, but couldn't. The faces of her crew were equally serious, waiting for her to begin. She sighed, before breathing in deeply to start.

"Saren has started an all out attack on the colonies in the Traverse," said Shepard, "Our own fleets outnumber theirs by a considerable degree, but they're not sticking around to fight. They're landing on colonies, abducting as many people as possible and..."

The words failed to come out. She looked at Ashley, involuntarily. The Chief's face was a caricature of wrath. A snarl worthy of a shebear was on the woman's face, her eyes glowing with hatred. Shepard felt herself infected by it, and she cleared her throat as her words returned to her.

"Well, you've seen the pictures and some of you were on Eden Prime. They're turning people into monsters, as many as they can find, and then leaving before they can be destroyed. Everywhere except here."

Shepard pointed to the viewscreen. A grey and cloudy planet appeared, and several images of skyscrapers piercing a veil of fog and dust flanked it. Shepard was immediately reminded of pictures of the Texas metropolis back on Earth, one of which used to hang on the wall of her mother's cabin. And probably still did.

"Feros. American colony, founded in 2178, government sits in Zhu's Hope, sponsors include ExoGeni Corp, Yutani Corp, American Space Colonisation Fund Charity," said the ship's VI, as it brought up more pictures and flashed them in sequence.

"There are three thousand people living on those spires, with an army of geth surrounding them," said Shepard quietly, "And no Alliance garrison."

"Is the colony still safe?" asked Kaidan.

"The main spire remains in our hands for now, most of the colonists fled there," said Shepard, not adding that several outer spires had fallen to the geth. She didn't want to think about what was going on in those too much, and certainly didn't want to answer questions about them just yet.

"American colonies have obligatory weapons training," Ashley added, "They'll hold out until we get there."

"Wise policy," said Wrex, "But what are we doing here? Aren't you a Spectre now Shepard? This seems more like a job for regular military or mercs than Council Spectres."

"The geth aren't putting people up on the 'dragons' teeth' and they're assaulting the colony instead of just destroying it," Shepard explained, "There's something there the geth want, and if the geth want it, Saren wants it."

"So you think he's there?" asked Garrus, "Isn't that a long shot?"

"I know it is, but both the Council and Alliance High Command want us to check it out, and even if Saren isn't on Feros, there are still three thousand colonists who are in danger," said Shepard, "The geth are there for a reason, so we do our jobs, look around and make damn sure they don't get what they want."

"And if Saren is there?" asked Liara.

"Then we cap his turian ass," said Ashley loudly, "Along with _anyone_ helping him."

Shepard winced. The Chief's emphasis on 'anyone' was meant for Liara, and she thought it more than a little cruel to put it so bluntly. 'Turian ass' wasn't exactly how she would have phrased it in front of Vakarian either. She opened her mouth to rebuke the Chief, but she found she couldn't do it. Ashley was also having a rough time. When the news came through, the journalists had put gratuitous shots of geth dragging people away all over the Citadel. Shepard couldn't help but feel this reaction was related to that, considering Ashley had probably seen the images after more than few drinks.

"Can we expect reinforcements?" asked Kaidan, turning matters in a more sensible direction, "We can't take on a whole geth army by ourselves."

"Maybe we can," said Garrus, "From what I've seen, all we need to do is sit sipping drinks and let the Commander do the work."

The tension broke, and a few grins shone around the room. Garrus looked genuinely pleased with himself.

"Do the drinks have little umbrellas on them?" asked Tali, earning a few smirks of her own.

Shepard smiled like an idiot herself. At least some of the thinking was still positive, even if it was comic use of her rather unflattering reputation. Putting aside the thought as some weight lifted from her heart, she answered Kaidan's question.

"Troop Command Columbia is sending a task force, but we don't have an ETA," said Shepard, "Things are a mess right now, there are larger colonies under attack. We'll hold the geth long enough for them to arrive."

"Sounds like a plan," said Wrex, "When do we get there?"

"Nine hours," replied Shepard, "So everyone get some sleep, and let's go kick some geth ass."

A wave of acknowledgements went around the room, and everyone made to leave.

Ashley got up last, and Shepard quickly waved her over before she could escape. The Chief complied, saluting and standing at attention. Trouble was afoot. Shepard knew this almost robotic adherence to military protocol well. It was like looking into a mirror of her past, before she met Anderson.

"At ease, Ashley," said Shepard, wanting to break the Chief's attitude, "Are you alright? I heard the geth were all over the news."

"I'm ready for the mission, ma'am," replied Ashley, "Anything else is secondary."

Shepard frowned. Williams was a hard woman to crack. The Commander became annoyed at the soldier for a moment, but felt guilty about it soon after. After all, she had been there too, and she couldn't think of anything to say without feeling like a hypocrite. Luckily, there was time.

"I want to speak to you in the morning, before we go groundside," said Shepard, "Get some rest, that's an order."

* * *

><p>"Thirty minutes until Feros orbital," said Joker over the comms.<p>

Shepard began checking her weapons on instinct. The thirty minute marker was a long tradition in the Alliance Naval Infantry. Drilled into every recruit who selected the N programmes as an elective specialisation, the Commander repeated the process she learned years earlier on Earth during basic training. Sidearm first, then her main weapon, then her heavy weapon, her explosives, and finally, her omnitool.

She was not expecting anything to be out of order, as she had checked and prepared her equipment about an hour earlier, but the routine calmed her before her tasks began. First of all, she would have to talk to Chief Williams. Kaidan had approached her soon after the evening briefing and told an ugly tale about what had happened on the Citadel during their leave. There had been a brawl, but the Lieutenant had been unable to find out what caused it.

Shepard had been surprised at this, as Ashley had not a stratch on her when she reported back to the Normandy the night before, and her service record indicated near-perfect discipline. The Commander had a feeling it might be something she shouldn't get involved in, but she felt great empathy with Ashley's situation and duty called.

As the rest of the crew donned armour and equipment, Ashley was in a corner by herself beside a weapons bench, attaching a scope modification to her assault rifle. Shepard sighed. Her isolation from the rest of the team was not a good sign.

"Chief, can I have a word?" said Shepard as soon as she was out of earshot of the others, her tone insuring that the question was not taken as anything but an order.

"Yes ma'am," said Ashley, turning from her work, "I'd like to apologise for my behaviour yesterday, I was out of line and I know you were only trying to help."

"It's okay to have problems, Ashley," said Shepard softly, "I've had more than a few myself, but keeping it bottled up and letting it interfere with your duty isn't the way to go. You're part of my crew now, if you need to talk to someone, my door is always open."

"Thanks Shepard," Ashley said, looking a bit awkward now, "I had a rough time on the Citadel, and I didn't sleep very much the night before."

"Lieutenant Alenko said you got into a fight, what was that about?" asked Shepard as delicately as she could. She didn't want to imply that there would be disciplinary proceedings.

"Some bastard corporal recognised my name as the news about the geth came through," Ashley explained, "Got offended that I was in uniform at all."

"I don't understand, your name?" said Shepard, confused as to how that would set off a bar melee.

"I'm the granddaughter of General Williams, of 'the only human to surrender to an alien' fame. Some in the Alliance don't take kindly to me being around."

Something in Shepard's mind clicked. The pieces all fell into place, and not just about the brawl. Ashley's attitude to everything was now much clearer. A grin fell across her face.

"You must be crazy to be in the Army with that over your head," said Shepard, "No wonder you've only made Gunnery-Chief. With your record, you should outrank Kaidan by now."

"Superiors have been finding ways to keep me away from anything like a promotion," said Ashley, "My family is military, and all of those that have served since Shanxi have been given middle of nowhere posts in garrison or support units. Didn't stop my dad from serving and it certainly isn't going to stop me."

"We have a lot in common, my family is military too," said Shepard, smiling as she approved of the Chief's determination.

"Umm, no offence Shepard, but your family is navy," said Ashley, cheering up, "That's not real military."

Shepard crossed her arms, gasping with exasperation, while the Chief simply giggled. She was tempted to make a remark about glacier crawlers and their big talk, but the sight of Ashley actually being amused was enough to stifle the urge. Far better than the almost inhuman hatred that burned in her eyes the day before.

"Good to see your sense of humour is intact, Gunnery-Chief," said Shepard, her deepest frown affixed firmly.

"I know you're an N7 Shepard, so respect where it's due," said Ashley, recovering well, "Tends to be less cozy groundside than on ships, and I guess you get that."

"Yeah, a little too well," said Shepard wistfully. Torfan sprung to mind like an opened jack-in-the-box. "I guess we've both seen some things we'd rather not."

"Nature of the beast," said Ashley, "It can get to us sometimes, but we've got to keep marching."

"Exactly," said Shepard, pleased that her subordinate had cheered up, "Are you ready to do this?"

"Yeah, I got a good night's sleep," replied Ashley, hefting her rifle from the table and into her arms, "And you've helped, ma'am."

"Just doing my job," smiled Shepard. She was glad she had gotten through to the Chief, and pat her on the shoulder as she made to talk to the others.

The comms buzzed, and Pressly's voice filled the air.

"Commander, you're going to want to come to CIC," he said, "We're picking up a large navigational hazard."

Shepard cocked her eyebrow up. There was something in orbit over Feros, but not a geth fleet?

"You guys, get ready and get up to the airlock as soon as possible," she said to the group, before heading to the elevator.

* * *

><p>"As you can see Commander, it's a debris field," said Pressly, bringing up the sensor reading on the holographic projector, "Quite large as well, there's enough out there that it could be a small flotilla's worth of wreckage. We're not going to be able to get a good reading on it until we drop out of FTL."<p>

"There wasn't an Alliance naval group assigned here," stated Shepard, "It can't be the reinforcements, can it?"

"No, they're still en route, and we have no record of any Navy task group assigned to this mission except our own," said Pressly, "Something is up."

"How long until we arrive, Joker?" asked Shepard via the comms.

"Couple of minutes," came the reply, "I need to drop us further out because of the junk floating around, but it won't take us long to get past that either."

"I'm heading up to the bridge now," said Shepard. She wanted to get a good look at this with her own eyes.

A swift walk later, and she was at Joker's side, watching the monitors.

"Commander, I've got a bad feeling about this," said Joker ominously. Shepard felt like slapping him on the back of the head. Inviting fate to make it a bad day was not something she appreciated at the best of times.

"Joker, I want you to give us a slow pass of the debris field when we drop out," said Shepard, "Whatever it is, it shouldn't be here and it's too much of a coincidence."

"Yes, ma'am," said Joker, tapping on the controls casually.

A minute later, the shifted light stopped and the Normandy slowed. The view from the windows was filled with orbiting pieces of metal, spinning and crashing into each other.

"This is definitely the remains of ships," said Shepard over the comms, "Any idea what it is?"

"I'm picking up an IFF now, Commander," said Joker, "It's on an emergency autocycle, reads SSV Hathor."

"Pressly, what can you tell us about that?" asked Shepard, unfamiliar with the name.

"Aphrodite-class colony ship, assigned to ExoGeni Corporation for colonial expansion work," said Pressly after a moment, "They're the size of a fleet carrier, which explains the debris field's size. They're not as tough as one, but it would take a serious beating to reduce it to the scrap we're seeing."

"Oh great, so it's an orbiting graveyard," said Joker, "Can we get out of here Commander, this is giving me the creeps."

"Are you picking up any distress calls from the wreckage?" asked Shepard.

"None, the IFF turned itself on again after we turned our own back on," replied Joker, "Seriously, I don't want to run into any floating corpses, that would ruin my sleep for weeks."

Shepard rubbed her chin for a moment. A colony ship where it wasn't supposed to be, destroyed presumably by the geth in a very complete way, no survivors and over a planet where Saren was looking for something. Every instinct cried out to the Commander that something was desperately wrong. She needed to find out what.

"Alright Joker, take us in," she said finally.

The shadows of the colony ship's broken hull flashed darkness onto the bridge as the Normandy turned on its belly, revealing the grey planet below. From on high, no one could have told that a desperate battle was being waged. As her squad arrived on the CIC, The Commander returned to brief them.

* * *

><p>The Normandy's bulkhead door swung open, letting the cool air in and revealing the grey concrete-like material that the dock and seemingly everything else had been constructed of. Shepard stepped out into the atmosphere of Feros for the first time, her pistol raised. They had been unable to contact the colony directly due to geth jamming of civilian level comms channels. For all she knew, the civilians had been overrun hours ago. The sounds of fighting echoed around.<p>

"Liara, you're with me since you probably know the layout of this place better than anyone," said Shepard as the others took up a defensive position at the dock, "Wrex, you're coming along too."

Liara didn't look particularly pleased about being with the lead team. Shepard had forgotten that this really wasn't her job, but suppressed the urge to change the order. The Prothean expert more than likely knew every nook and cranny of the structure as the intel sent by High Command indicated it was of a standard design. Shepard was about to reach out to her, to boost her confidence a little, when Wrex stepped over.

"Don't worry, I've got your back," growled Wrex, "Can't have you dying before we meet your mother."

Shepard almost choked on her breath for a moment. Was the krogan implying he wanted to kill Liara's mother in front of her? The Commander looked at Liara. Thankfully, the asari didn't seem to get the hint.

"Thanks, Wrex," Liara said, pulling out her pistol, "I think..."

Relieved that there wasn't going to be a problem, Shepard turned to Kaidan.

"Lieutenant, you have command of the second team," she said, "Follow us up to the colony centre once you've made this position as defensible as you can. Expect resistance. We'll try and get through undetected if we can."

Kaidan's eyes flicked over to Wrex, as if he was wondering how Shepard planned to accomplish that feat with the loudest and largest member of the crew on her team. Shepard cocked her head slightly to indicate she expected an answer, and the lieutenant resumed his full attention on her.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, saluting.

* * *

><p>Shepard, Wrex and Liara started on their way. They left the Normandy behind, and began negotiating the corridors towards the staircases of the building. The architecture drowned out the light from the sun once they left the docking area, and the power seemed to be down as well. The Commander frowned. They had equipment to deal with the dark, but she had no doubt that the geth would have the advantage.<p>

Faint sounds of dust falling from the roof above turned suspicion into certainty for Shepard, as it could be heard in the interruptions between gunfire. Gunfire that had gotten progressively louder as they advanced.

As they reached the bottom of the first stairway, she knelt and called over Liara. The asari knelt beside her, while Wrex swept his shotgun into every corner of the space, a quiet snarl on his mouth. Satisfied that she could speak safely, Shepard put her hand on Liara's shoulder.

"We need a different way up," she whispered, "If we go up those steps, I guarantee there's an ambush waiting for us."

Liara's eyes went to the stairs, as if the geth were already pouring down them. They hung there for a second, and Shepard bit her lip, unsure what to do and if the asari could do what she asked. The eyes returned to Shepard's own after a moment.

"There should be an elevator shaft behind that wall," Liara whispered back, "The wall itself is quite thin as it does not support the weight of the building, we should be able to get through it."

"Got you," said Wrex, almost causing Shepard to jump out of her skin. The krogan's biotics flared, and he punched the wall with no regard for noise discipline or common sense. His fist went straight through, and he curled the rest of his arm around the back side and pulled it through again.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Shepard as she stood up, still half-whispering. She looked at the arm-sized hole in the wall that he had made. More concrete dust began falling from the top, and parts of the wall continued to collapse. Wrex kicked the bottom of the wall now, and a hole big enough for even him to fit through appeared.

"That answer your question?" he growled, pointing a claw at his handiwork before scrambling through to the other side. Shepard groaned, and ordered Liara to follow him as she covered the stairs. The distinct sound of the geth screeches was getting closer.

The Commander scrambled through the hole, her slung anti-materiel rifle causing some difficulty in doing it with grace, but she made it in the end. She dusted herself off as she approached the shaft where her teammates were enraptured. It was almost pitch black, and her teammates were only identifiable by the glowing strips of their armour. Liara and Wrex were peering down the drop, clearly wondering how far it was.

Shepard retrieved some chemi-lumniscent sticks from her belt, snapped them between her hands, and dropped them off the edge. They fell for only a few seconds, and in the blackness the silouette of the top of the elevator itself glowed green, as did the cables attached to it.

Liara sighed her relief, to Shepard's amusement. The asari had the least to fear of gravity, if her previous biotic display on Therum was any indication.

"Alright, we use the cable to get up," said Shepard, tilting her head to look up, "Might take a while, but there's no power to call that."

"No it won't," said Wrex, "Do you trust me, Shepard?"

The Commander looked at the krogan, and pondered the question for a moment. She didn't really know Wrex well enough to say at that point, though he was a formidable fighter. Unable to answer it straight in her own head, she returned her gaze up the shaft.

"What have you got in mind?" she asked in reply.

Wrex grabbed her, and summoning his biotics once again, threw her at the cable. She clung to it, expecting to slide down, but a curious feeling of weightlessness had taken hold of her. The krogan now jumped over himself, taking a few strides to run at it and snatched the cable below.

"Well, get climbing, I can't do this all day," he growled.

Shepard seriously considered reprimanding him, but decided against it on account of possibly distracting him enough to cause her to fall. She scrambled up the cable.

"Oh Goddess," Liara muttered loudly, before her own biotics were brought forth and she jumped onto the cable.

The trio made their way up the tower quickly in this manner, reaching the last door before the lift mechanism in mere minutes. Shepard had to swing on the cable to reach the edge, and she opened the way by slipping her omniblade between the two doors and prying them apart. As soon as she did so, the shooting went from echoes to absolute clarity. The Commander grimaced, advancing into the room to make sure there wasn't any geth hanging around. At least they knew they were in the right place.

With somewhere to land, both Wrex and Liara made the jump and the blue glow around their bodies stopped. Liara doubled over for a moment, but stayed on her feet. Shepard went to them.

"You both alright?" she asked.

"Bit hungry, but I'll survive," said Wrex.

"I am just glad to be alive," added Liara, looking around.

"Wrex, for future reference, don't throw me ever again," said Shepard, only half-joking.

"Fine," he growled back, "Where are we now?"

Shepard answered by swinging her semi-auto off her back and striding away. The wind could be heard now as well, so something was exposed to the sky. It didn't take long for Shepard to find the broken wall, and the squad approached it to see what was beyond it.

Below, a plaza-like space sprawled out, most of it taken up by the bulk of a disassembled freighter ship, its modules broken up into housing of some sort. The rest seemed to be teeming with people. Most of them were armed, and were divided into groups to defend each part of the facility.

Defence barriers had been set up to cover the entrances, and what looked like corporate security manned the posts. They were firing continuously down what looked like the main entrance. Shepard was less than impressed with this. Poor fire discipline didn't bode well. Either the corpers were incompetent or it was wall-to-wall toaster in the fire zone.

Shepard shouldered her weapon, bringing the scope to her eye and resting the barrel on the rubbled wall. The militia below were taking serious return fire, as the metal around them sparked with impacts from accelerator projectiles. More disturbingly, sections of their defences seemed to have red-hot melted holes in them as if a blowtorch had been applied at random to their surfaces.

"This is the Alliance, does anyone read me on this frequency?" she asked, activating her comms. Nothing but static came back.

"Look at them all down there," said Wrex, "At least half the colony seems to be squatting on this one building."

"It seems they had some warning about the geth attack," Liara observed, "But how?"

Shepard swept her scope over the colonists, her finger off the trigger. The desperation almost oozed off them. She retrieved her weapon from its rest, "If we move to the left, we should be able to see down that firing lane from up here."

The three repositioned as the Commander said, the others apparently trusting her instinct on the matter. The wall had fallen away entirely at this point, so they lay down for maximum cover. Shepard once again brought her rifle to bear and observed. She had been dead right. The building the troops had entered from was crawling with geth troops. Her heartbeat rose, as she moved her finger from the triggerguard to the trigger itself.

"Wrex, take the RAM-Rifle off my back and get ready," she said, "Don't fire at anything smaller than you are, I don't have a lot of ammunition for that thing."

"Now you're talking!" he said, grabbing the huge weapon with glee.

"There is not much I can do from up here," said Liara, "Sorry."

Shepard let out a laugh.

"You've done enough getting me up here," she said, flicking the safety off her Viper with her thumb.

Her aiming reticle drifted onto the centre mass of a geth rocket unit. Time seemed to slow as Shepard was intoxicated by the moment and the anticipation running through her blood. The first shot slammed into the chestplate with satisfying results, staggering the geth and shattering its front. The second shot entered its innards, sending it falling forwards. The third went clean through its flashlight head.

As the broken metal creature fell to the ground in pieces, Shepard smiled, and started repeating the trick. As more geth got dinged, the colonists looked up from their positions and wondered who the hell was supporting them. Unfortunately, they weren't the only ones, and the geth began to return fire. Shepard's concentration was only sharpened by the near-misses now whizzing by her ears.

"That is a huge geth!" said Liara, peeking over the edge of the parapet as a prime hulked into view.

The larger geth ducked through the doorway, and walked through the colonist's fire like it was nothing but rain. Firing as it came, it kicked the first barricade viciously, rolling it over the defenders behind. The accompanying geth platforms riddled the unfortunate souls with their pulse weapons. The corpers began to flee.

"Wrex, any time now!" Shepard said loudly, putting a fresh thermal clip into her weapon, and firing on the behemoth bipedal machine. The krogan held his fire. He still didn't have the shot.

The geth prime's pulse cannon swung upwards, and despite Shepard emptying an entire clip into the thing's shields, it stood unbroken. The cannon fired, and the high calibre plasma induced munitions slammed into the floor below the Commander.

It collapsed, sending Shepard falling. She landed hard on the rubble below, the audible thud of her body impacting the concrete jarring her ears as pain spread down her side. She blacked out.

* * *

><p>Disoriented, the Commander rolled onto her side, groaning and grabbing at her ribs. "That hurt," she muttered, getting to her feet. She looked up and observed her surroundings. It seems she landed behind the wrecked cockpit of the freighter the colonists used for building material, and it would take some climbing to get out of the pit.<p>

To her left, Liara lay on her back as well, seemingly unconscious.

Shepard hobbled over to her and knelt beside her, picking up her body with one arm. It hurt like hell, but she supported the young asari's weight as she checked for a pulse, not even sure if she was getting her biology right at first. The Commander was soon rewarded with a heartbeat. She breathed heavily with relief. She hadn't lost another.

Liara stirred, and opened her eyes.

"Shepard?" she said groggily, supporting herself now. Shepard helped her sit up straight.

"You gave me a shock there," Shepard smiled, rubbing Liara's shoulder, "We'll need to get you checked out by Karen."

"Of course... Shepard!"

Liara realised she was being held, and got up quickly. Shepard caught her by reflex as she staggered, worried that it was far too early for such exertion.

"Don't push yourself, you were just knocked out," the Commander said, supporting her on her shoulder now. Pain continued to flow down her side, but she had more pressing concerns now.

A loud shot rang out. Shepard and Liara both looked up, and briefly saw the ignited air trail of Wrex's fire. The krogan evidently had found his clean shot at the geth prime, and his head appeared over the edge now.

"Anyone alive down there?" Wrex roared, "The metal pyjaks are dead as a team of salarian kowla players! Your crew arrived just as you fell."

The commander and the archeologist looked at each other for a moment, and they smiled like idiots up at the mercenary. Shepard didn't get Wrex's reference, but she didn't care. The day had been saved, for the moment.

"We're a bit banged up, but we'll live," said Shepard.

"No kidding Commander," said a familiar male voice from behind. Shepard and Liara turned. Lieutenant Alenko and Chief Williams were there, weapons balanced on their hips, standing on top of the freighter's hull and covered in geth conductive fluid.

"I see you had fun," said Ashley, a cheery twinkle in her eyes as they moved to Liara. Shepard let go now, reasonably sure that the asari could stand on her own.

"I could say the same about you," Shepard replied, nodding at the grey goo all over the Chief's armour, "Are the colonists safe?"

"For now," said Kaidan, "The geth are still all over the building, if the colonists are correct. Garrus and Tali are restoring power now."

"Looks like we have much to do," said Liara, wincing as she felt the side of her head.

The Commander nodded. Now the real work began.

* * *

><p>Nightfall had come, and Liara was cold. Her armour had been damaged in the fall hours before, and she had not fabricated another set yet so she was making do with her borrowed labsuit. Each breath was visible as she walked around. Shivering, she kept moving for warmth. She didn't want to enter the already packed cargo modules as to avoid stealing the space of one of the inhabitants, who deserved to be warm far more than she did in her opinion.<p>

She felt a bit useless. Ashley and Kaidan were both busy clearing some of the lower levels so the colonists could get better shelter. Tali was still working on the power. Garrus had last been seen sorting out the corporate security personnel and better equipped colonists. Only Wrex seemed to be doing nothing, chatting idly with a random salarian merchant in a surprisingly calm tone. Feros was a Prothean world, but it had been picked clean by looters centuries before Liara's birth. While it was possible there were hidden troves to be found, she was not particularly excited about being here.

Liara found herself looking for Shepard for reasons that made her embarrassed even to think of, but not a splash of red hair or armour could be found anywhere. As she continued looking, she ran straight into Garrus.

"I am sorry, I was distracted," she said immediately, almost bowing away before the turian could reply.

"Looking for Shepard?" he asked. Liara panicked. Was she that easy to read?

"Yes, I was," she said quickly, unable to come up with a convincing deception in her mind swiftly enough to deliver.

"She's watching the skybridge from up there," Garrus said, pointing to the top of the tower that was familiar to her by now, "Been up there for hours, I'm beginning to get a bit worried about her. Would you mind checking on her? There's a ladder to get up somewhere over there."

Liara understood what Garrus was doing immediately, and was filled with gratitude to the turian. She beamed at him without thinking, but was unable to read his face.

"Thank you," she said, with every ounce of sincerity. Garrus merely nodded, and walked off towards Wrex who had changed his calm demeanor into a threatening one. After wondering for a moment if she should intervene, she decided against it and walked at an indecent pace towards the tower where Shepard was holed up.

Liara found the ladder, and climbed it quickly. A cold wind blew across her back, giving her a second reason for haste. The height was significant as well, but the ladder seemed secure enough. Shivering even more now, she did not want to test it for too long.

Shepard was almost invisible in the shadows of the ruined tower when Liara finally made it. The light from the two moons of Feros drew long beams of light through broken sections of the wall. The Commander was sat in between two such beams, masked by a grey tarp the same colour as the concrete around it, covering her body, armour and rifle, disguising them as a single material entity. The only thing that gave her away was her eyes. The light poured across her face at eye level from the scope of her weapon.

Liara walked slowly towards Shepard, watching the scene. She looked out over the skybridge and saw nothing, yet Shepard was entirely focused. She sat down in the shadows beside the Commander, behind a wall, and waited a moment.

"Are you not cold up here?" she asked quietly, looking at the Commander.

Shepard didn't move an inch from her weapon, but a grin broke out on her face that was just barely visible to Liara in the glow of the scope.

"This is warm," Shepard said, even as her breath froze in the air.

"Really?" asked Liara.

"I guess you have never visited Earth," Shepard said, the smile growing wider.

"No, as I have said before, I have not had any real contact with humans before joining the Normandy crew," Liara said, "Is Earth cold?"

"Most of the time," Shepard replied, shifting her aim ever so slightly as she spoke, "There are warm places, but most people don't live there. We needed the land for crops."

"So humans are immune to the cold?" said Liara, moving to get more comfortable, "Or just you?"

"We all just got used to it, I think," said Shepard, "As for whether or not I am immune, we train to defend our homeworld first, so our basic military training is on the ice."

"I see..." said Liara, unsure of what to say next.

Silence reigned for a number of minutes, as Liara looked up at the sky and Shepard continued her vigil. The asari watched the stars, her mind still.

"Are you cold?" asked Shepard, finally rising from her position, her covering still around her. Liara snapped out of her trance and looked, but said nothing.

"Here," Shepard said, as she gathered the covering off of her armour and held it out bunched up. The tarp was actually a grey blanket, of the type that the colonists had. Liara stood up and took the gift, before swinging it around her own shoulders. It helped.

"Thank you," said Liara, staring again into the green pools that were Shepard's irises. To her surprise, this time it was the Commander who looked away quickly as they made eye contact.

Shepard ruffled her own hair for a moment, and then sat back down into her position. Liara's mind raced, as she sat back down with the blanket around her body. She felt a lot warmer, and the improved insulation was not entirely the cause.

They sat together for an hour, silently. Liara eventually drifted off to sleep, and dreamt good things.

* * *

><p>She awoke to Shepard's voice calling her name. Shaking sleep out of her eyes, she found it was still night.<p>

"How long have I been asleep?" Liara asked absent-mindedly.

"Not long," said Shepard, moving to Liara's side, "Listen, I need you to get Chief Williams and Vakarian, tell them to get up here and to bring everything they can carry."

Liara sat up straighter at this request.

"Why, what has happened?" she asked.

Shepard seemed displeased that she wasn't immediately complying, but retrieved a set of binoculars from her belt and stood up.

"Just below the next tower," she said, pointing as she spoke.

Liara took the equipment from the Commander and put it to her eyes. The nightvision was turned on, and the world was bathed in green light. She found the next skyscraper and zoomed in, tracking its height downwards.

Where the skybridge met the structure were thousands of figures. They looked asari or human to Liara from this distance, but she couldn't figure out what they were doing.

"I don't understand..." she said quietly, glancing at Shepard for an answer.

"Husks," said Shepard. Liara felt her heart drop. There were hundreds of the things down there.

"So the rest of the colonists..." said Liara, not continuing the line of thought aloud.

"Rounded up and killed like cattle," said Shepard, a look of disgust and anger on her face now, "For cannon fodder. They knew we would come, so they prepared."

Liara handed back the binoculars now, and put her face in her hands.

"Goddess be with us," she said.


	14. Chapter 11: The First Waves

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD:_

_This part of the story is getting pretty long in the draft, so I've decided to publish this first part early. Think of it as New Year's present. _

_We've reached 200 followers, so another bonus chapter will be put up after the end of the Feros arc. Absolutely delighted._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eleven: The First Waves<strong>

Liara watched as Ashley pulled a double-barreled cannon up on a rope, Kaidan lightening the load with his biotics as he stood below in the rubble. Before that, it had been a mount of some sort, a set of barrier generators, and what looked conspicuously like huge boxes of ammunition. The two soldiers had taken the news that hundreds or possibly thousands of synthetic monsters created from the corpses of their fellow humans with something akin to excitement.

The panic gripping Liara's heart had not subsided. As Ashley had retrieved the collection of machinery she called "_Ma Deuce_" from the Normandy and Kaidan had gone about organising the colonists for the defence, the archaeologist's previous feeling of uselessness had intensified greatly. Seemingly every person was moving to prevent disaster, sure what to do and how they could help. Everyone except Liara. The darkness of the night did not disrupt the impression of activity that had continued since, as people came and went carrying out their duties with lights attached to their helmets or weapons.

The governor of the colony, Fai Dan, had been present when Liara had delivered the news from Shepard. She had expected a great deal more nervousness from the civilian, but he had reacted with almost the same reserve as the military had. As the news spread, everyone had acted with the utmost efficiency towards preparing for the slaughter to come, even though it was their neighbours and relatives coming to kill them.

Stunned, Liara was forced to accept this strange state of affairs. She had discovered why so many others were terrified of the humans. Their determination seemed boundless. But the monstrosities created by the geth were coming. She was glad the colonists were so willing to take charge of their lives, and had decided to do whatever she could when the time came.

As this promise came to Liara's mind, Ashley hauled her weapon up onto the tower at last, and waved her thanks to Kaidan.

"I could have done it without you, but you made it easier, Lieutenant!" she shouted down, a smile on her face.

"I don't doubt it, Chief," replied Kaidan, his tone inferring the opposite.

"Hey, we Sirona girls are tough," joked Ashley, hands on her hips.

"No argument here," replied Kaidan, a grin on his face. As the two parted to continue their duties, Liara's feeling that humans were brave or insane grew stronger. The Lieutenant acknowledged her with a small nod as he passed, which she returned with one of her own.

"The humans are crazy, aren't they?" said a voice from behind.

Liara turned, and found Tali standing behind her, engrossed with her omnitool. As the quarian worked her fingers over the interface rapidly, the asari simply smiled to herself.

"They certainly are eccentric," she said, "But I cannot help but feel endeared towards them. They try so hard."

Tali inclined her head now, still working. Liara watched the quarian, wondering what she was doing.

"Shepard told me that they would not stop until Rannoch was free," said Tali, "I didn't believe the Alliance was strong enough, not without my own people's assistance. But now, I don't know. There are genocidal monsters coming to kill all of these people, but they are not afraid. Maybe they are strong enough."

Liara looked up towards Shepard's position on the tower, hoping to get a glance of the commander before the fighting started. There was nothing but starry sky. She returned her attention to the quarian.

"I believe them," she said, "They can do it. They will do it. Shepard will keep her word."

Tali stopped her work and looked up.

"Keelah, I hope you are right," said Tali, as she tapped her omnitool once more.

"There we go," she added cheerily, "Communications restored, for now."

Liara smiled. Tali was quite determined herself, she thought. The Normandy's whole ground-team began sounding off, confirming the young quarian's handiwork had paid off.

* * *

><p>Garrus watched Ashley as she set up the heavy machineguns on their mount, checking their mechanisms. The weapons looked archaic, like something he had seen in a period film about the Palaven Unification wars. Two black metal barrels protuded from cases containing the recoil-reloading systems. Belts of chemical-propellant rounds draped out of the sides from huge boxes. The thing wasn't entirely an antique however, as the heat sinking system and barrier plates demonstrated, not to mention the ammunition mini-facturer with its tub of omnigel beside it.<p>

The turian knew the weapon by reputation. At the Battle of Xi'an Valley, human forces under a Colonel Ryan cut down several dozen turians with similar ones. Before the turian armour arrived and overwhelmed the defenders, slaughtering them to a man. Mr. Browning had gained a reputation, centuries after his death amongst creatures he never knew existed.

Garrus had to ask.

"Is it true that humans have been using that weapon since before you achieved spaceflight?" said the turian to Ashley, as she set the barrier plates in place. The human looked over at him, and grinned.

"Decades before," Ashley said proudly, "Don't change what isn't broken, right?"

Garrus hummed his agreement, picking up his rifle and cradling it as he walked over to inspect it.

"Bet it isn't so great against barriers," he said, running his thumb over the ammunition belt nearest to him.

"You'd be surprised," Ashley continued, "With ammunition modifications now, you can punch through. The aim of the game is to cause damage past the barriers."

Garrus grimaced. He remembered some of images shown of injuries caused by the bullets of the weapon on Shanxi. Barriers were less common in those days, and the wounds caused were horrific to say the least. Armour seemed to be far less effective as well, being bludgeoned to pieces by repeated hits instead of simply penetrated as a mass-accelerator with armour-piercing mods might do.

"They're coming," declared Shepard from the other side of the tower, "Eighteen hundred metres and closing, get ready!"

"Good luck," said Garrus to the Chief. She looked a little bewildered at the platitude, to his amusement.

"Thanks," she said, before cocking the handles of her emplacement weapons.

Garrus smirked that he had made Ashley uncomfortable for a moment, watching her aim towards the enemy. He sat down in his firing point, taking his rifle from his arms and resting it on a bipod. Looking down the sights, he saw that the Commander was indeed correct. The enemy was approaching.

Hundreds of husks jostled each other for space on the skybridge as they advanced in a great swarm. Amongst them, small squads of geth herded the throng forwards. Behind them, geth armatures plodded, moving slower than the main force but more steady. Garrus felt a pang of fear. They had nothing but civilians and dodgy corporate security to back them up against an army of synthetics. Long odds indeed.

"Enemy at one-five-nought-nought marker," Shepard said in military monotone, "Chief, fire at will."

Ashley triggered her weapon, and the two mouths of it chattered, twelve point seven millimetre rounds buzzing towards at the enemy. Garrus watched the rounds fly into the husks through his scope. The result was grizzly, the rounds tearing entire chunks of flesh and sections of metallic implants out with each hit. Yet still they came, picking up their pace. It wasn't going to be enough.

* * *

><p>Kaidan followed Tali and Liara into the elevator to the skybridge level, along with the last batch of civilians with enough experience and training in weapons to get the job done. Yet only the aliens seemed nervous. The colonists had a strange atmosphere of concentration about them, like they were thinking deeply about something else other than the fight ahead.<p>

The lieutenant found this state of affairs extremely odd, but put it down to ignorance. None of them, as far as he knew, had ever seen a husk up close, and they had held off the geth very well before.

Shepard had sent Kaidan to command the defence of the main door. As he walked out to the garage area, all eyes turned to him. He had about two hundred semi-competent colonists, a dozen corpers and a broken down walker in addition to the Normandy's new crewmates who had joined him. Against thousands of the enemy and who knew how many mechs.

He stepped forward.

"We have hard fighting ahead, and I need you all to follow my orders immediately after I give them."

No reaction. They were as ready as they were going to be. The Lieutenant began the preparations.

On the raised pathway that ran along the right side of the space, he had the militia set up the metal defences that the colonists had in abundance. Kaidan put those he had the least confidence in behind them. Wrex was put there also, to maintain order and make sure the enemy would not breach the line. Perpendicular to this defence at the back of the room, directly in front of the walker, another line of defences was manned by the corporate security troops and the small number of Alliance veterans. The killbox had been created. When the enemy came through, and Kaidan had no doubt they would make it that far at the very least, they would be hit from the front and side.

Lastly, Tali was assigned to repairing the old Riesig walker. Its powercore was intact and its components were functional, but no power was getting through to make the thing work. If the quarian could get it moving and killing, they had a shot at survival.

"Five-Nought-Nought marker, garage company standby," said Shepard's voice in Kaidan's ear, as the booming of fire from Ashley and Garrus leaked into the transmission.

"DEFENCE TEAMS, STAND TO!" Kaidan roared at the top of his voice. The Alliance veterans advanced a pace towards their barricade, the sound cacophonous as they stepped in unison. The former soldiers raised their weapons to aim at the gate, as the other civilians took up their positions in a far less coordinated manner. The Lieutenant walked down the line, inspecting the latter. Finding nothing out of order, he made his way to Wrex and Liara.

"Dr. T'soni, Wrex, if the enemy gets inside the gate, we'll need to slow them down with biotics," he said, "This needs to be a turkey shoot as much as possible."

The two aliens looked at him funny, and he realised his mistake. Neither of them had either seen a turkey before in their lives, more likely than not.

"It's an Earth thing," he explained, "We need to gather and kill the husks as quickly as possible before our defences are overwhelmed."

"This isn't my rite, you know?" growled Wrex, "I know what I'm doing. we'll get it done."

"I will also do my best to insure the geth do not overwhelm the colonists," Liara added, with a look that Kaidan interpreted to be sadness. Nodding in return, the lieutenant pat the asari on the shoulder and gave Wrex an amused thumbs up, before moving to his own position at the corner of the defences.

"Three-Nought-Nought marker, defence team engage," said Shepard softly.

Kaidan tapped his omnitool, and the gates began to roll up. The darkness beyond was strobed with tracers from above, as Shepard and the others reaped their terrible crop, but no targets could be seen yet. The lieutenant gave the command for the floodlights to be kindled.

A great wave of light swung across the skybridge, illuminating the husks. A great moan went up from the enemy, followed by screeching as they charged forward like demons. The closer they came, the more details Kaidan could pick out in the gloom of the night. He wished he couldn't almost immediately.

"First team, fire," he said calmly. The defence team stationed facing the gateway began to shoot, maintaining good fire discipline and picking their shots. Kaidan brought a pair of binoculars to his eyes, and watched the shots burst in the husks. The veterans were doing a bit better than the corpers, but neither were killing enough husks to stop the advance. The great tide of implanted flesh rolled forwards.

"Tali, we're going to need that walker," he said quietly into his comms.

"It's not ready, I need more time," she responded, "Sorry."

"It's alright," Kaidan replied, taking hold of his own rifle now, "Just work as fast as you can."

The husks were no longer shoulder to shoulder in density, but they had not slowed.

"First team, independent fire at will!" Kaidan shouted, and began shooting himself. The line erupted with automatic fire. That this would normally be entirely improper would have bothered the lieutenant, but the husks were closing at such a pace that it was getting unlikely that anyone would miss.

The lieutenant brought his own weapon to bear, as the slugs ripped the enemy line apart. More and more of the husks fell, some continuing to crawl as their legs were shot from under them, but still more of them simply collapsing like puppets with their strings cut. The advance stopped.

The husks reacted immediately, ducking and diving in a random pattern and hugging the edges of the skybridge where the raised section provided plenty of cover. To add more misery, as the horde parted, Kaidan saw a far more potent threat come into view. The geth squads were advancing in good order behind the meatshield of the dead colonists' reanimated bodies, their own metal shells finally coming into the glow of the spotlights. Continuous fire from Shepard's position above rained down, but it did not bother them.

"Tali!" shouted Kaidan as he shoved a fresh thermal clip into his weapon, "We really don't have anymore time!"

"Just one more minute!" she replied.

Kaidan's heartbeat rose, frustrated beyond all discipline's ability to halt it, as the first geth began to open fire. The veterans kept firing, the geth still not close enough to get off truly accurate shots, but it didn't matter. The lieutenant's jaw dropped as the corpers, the glorified security guards, ducked down behind the barricade and ceased firing.

"Are you mad! Keep firing!" he ordered, grabbing the nearest one and dragging her physically to her feet. The guards did as they were told almost immediately, to Kaidan's great relief, but it was too late.

The husks, taking advantage of the drop in bullets flying their way, surged forward once again. They came on at a faster rate than before, as they used cover to avoid the renewed fire and the geth supported them.

"Wrex!" said Kaidan

"Alright you pyjaks, get ready, they're coming!" roared the Krogan, brandishing his shotgun over his head and hitting his chest with his free arm. The civilians, unable to see exactly what was coming to kill them, bristled and coaxed as many sounds out of their weapons as they could.

The husks tore into the building with their mouths wide and throats moaning, flooding into the low floor of the garage's main area. Above, the militia along the walkway held their fire as they were instructed, letting the enemy run the full length of the room.

"Now, blast them to pieces!" cried Wrex. His shotgun boomed, the signal to attack. The civilians began firing now as well. The husks were caught in a crossfire, their attention firmly fixed on the barricades in front of them as their heads and bodies were ruptured by shots from the side.

Kaidan stopped firing and watched the scene. The civilians were still missing even at point blank range, but their nerve held. They were hitting enough of the husks to stop the creatures, and the bodies began to pile up. With relief, he added his own shots to the fray.

The thinned out front of the husks had now all died, and a glut of them entered, swinging around the edge of the gateway and scrambling towards the less experienced militia.

Liara immediately acted, and caught them with a bubble of dark energy that suspended them in the air. Wrex and a brace of accompanying civilians fired into the tangle of floating husks, before the krogan let loose a bolt of energy himself, detonating the singularity. The corpses slammed into their walking fellows as light flared from the biotic effect. The next wave came on.

"Ready!" said Tali, exhaustion edging into her tone.

The walker powered up with a hum. Its barriers flashed on, strobing around the body and legs of the armour. The gatling cannons began spooling up. Kaidan could help but smile. The weapons fired, streaming shells into the husks, bursting them like kids' water balloons. The militia, the veterans, even Wrex stopped firing, and watched as the husks were torn to shreds.

When the walker started thudding forwards, a cheer went up.

"Forward!" ordered Kaidan, "Outer positions, now!"

The colonists followed Tali in the walker, squashing the corpses of husks and powering forwards. Picking their way through the scene as quickly as they could, the civilians moved with a purpose, some dragging the barricades with them.

Kaidan came up beside the walker as it stopped. Missiles boomed from the mounts on either side of the sensor array of the armoured beast, and swung towards the nearest geth destroyer, rippling into it until it fell apart. The lieutenant nodded his approval of Tali taking no chances, opting for overkill. The geth took a lot of putting down. Even now, the squads of geth were attached like metallic leeches to whatever cover they could grab.

The colonial veterans were forming up ranks behind the newly repositioned barriers, guiding the amateurs to the most protected positions. The horde of husks didn't seem so endless now to Kaidan, as Chief Williams' fire added to that of his own team's shots, cutting a scythe through the enemy ranks. Yet still they approached.

"Starting to run low on clips, lieutenant," said the leader of the corpers, flicking a heated one out of her gun. Kaidan looked down his sights, and saw that the next group of husks was still out of best effective range, particularly for the civilians. And there were still the geth walkers to contend with. Only one option for it.

"No choice... Cease fire!" he said, "Let them get closer."

"Just how I like it!" declared Wrex, eliciting a cheer of agreement from the nearest civvies.

Kaidan didn't want to comment on the krogan's enthusiasm. The closer the enemy got, the more likely the civilians would panic. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, as his gut tightened at the thought of having to retreat as the geth pursued them.


	15. Chapter 12: Bloody Dawn

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD: _

_Here's the next part of the Feros arc._

_I've been thinking of writing Battlefield 2157, an account of the First Contact War, involving canon and OC characters. Sort of a secret history, based on how things were different in this version of events. If you guys would be interested in reading something like that while I also work on this, let me know. Likewise if you want me to concentrate on this. I have also decided there will be a Battlefield 2184, the story will not jump immediately to the Collectors' arrival. Make of that what you will._

_Coming up on 150 favourites, so I guess I'll whip up some more posters. If there are any background aspects of the story that you want explained in greater detail, feel free to say so in a review or PM and I'll clarify them in the upcoming bonus chapter if I can. It has also been three months to the day that this story was first published! Thank you to all who have read it this far._

_Hope this chapter has the desired effect I was aiming for, enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12: Bloody Dawn<strong>

Shepard fired her weapon, shattering a geth prime's chestplate on both sides of its body, front and back. It kept moving. She had missed the vital parts. Cursing, she opened her rifle's breech, letting the specialised thermal clip pop out of it, and slid another high-density round in. As she snapped it closed, she reacquired the target. She need not have bothered. From below her position, Tali sent a burst of rounds from the walker into the thing, and Ashley followed up with a volley from her emplacement. Not even bits resembling spare parts remained of it. Shepard nodded her satisfaction. One more threat neutralised.

The geth had been acting strangely. Instead of the all-out attack they usually favoured, a tactic bred from their ability to simply download out of their destroyed bodies, they were hanging back, letting the husks soften up the human defences. Or so it seemed. Lieutenant Alenko had been putting to bed any notion that the husks would soften anything up, yet the geth were not retreating or acting in any manner that would suggest they were being beaten.

Shepard assumed it had something to do with the geth armatures rumbling ever closer, but Tali's walker could take care of them in a pinch as long as she had support.

Garrus ducked down and opened a box of clips as he sat, flicking the spent one out of his rifle.

"We're holding for now, but this is going to get messy if we don't do something about those geth mechs," he said, barely audible over the sound of Ashley's firing. Shepard sat down beside him, putting her rifle across her lap.

"I agree," she said, her eyes raised to the heavens as she thought about it, "But what?"

"Eh, Commander?!" said Ashley, alarmed and pointing down at the skybridge.

Shepard jumped up. The geth armatures were running at full pace, in formation, closing towards the building. Shepard peeked over the edge of the tower at the defence team below. Kaidan was visible trying to keep order at the very front, his distinctive First Legion white-grey helmet standing out even from many floors above. The civilians were fleeing as Tali fired the AT missiles from the aging walker into the fray.

The Commander cursed, and aimed her anti-materiel rifle down the skybridge at the oncoming behemoths.

"Ashley, start with the right-side raised lane," she ordered. Tali was hitting targets mostly in the main thoroughfare, unable to fire at those pounding along the higher lane.

"Yes Commander!" the Chief said, before triggering her weapon. The twin-barrels chattered loudly as she sent bursts down-range. Shepard blocked out everything; the cold wind blowing on her face, the comms, the smell of ozone and what she could only assume was rotting flesh.

Laying the reticles on her target's head was difficult. It was still moving about, even if it was directly towards her position. But she didn't earn the nickname "Angel of Death" for being a middling marksman.

Shepard depressed the trigger. The rifle hummed for the smallest moment, and discharged. The round hit the target's head, the air along the bullet's flightpath torn for a millisecond. The armature's sensor cluster smashed and the light flicked off, as its 'skull' collapsed. Ashley followed up, sending a burst into its body. The thing exploded. A ragged cheer rose in the air. The Commander smiled as she opened her rifle to reload. Absolutely textbook.

"Commander!" shouted Garrus, running towards her.

Shepard turned back to her viewpoint. A geth frigate was swinging into view from the sky, firing its dorsal weaponry at the base of the tower. To make matters worse, the armatures had stopped. As she spotted this, their plasma projection weapons fired in unison. The turian grabbed her and dragged her to ground as the blue-white bolts obliterated the already run-down wall she had been using for cover.

* * *

><p>Shepard coughed. A cloud of concrete dust and smoke hung in the air, obstructing her view. The noise of gunfire seemed eerie, breaking through the haze as the moon's beams were caught by the particles in the air. The Commander couldn't see three feet in front of her face.<p>

"Vakarian, Williams, report," she said, hoping the others were still alive.

"I'm right here," said Garrus from below her, dragging himself to his feet, "And you're welcome."

Shepard breathed easy as best she could without choking. The turian was fine, and the Chief's silhouette was emerging from the haze as he had spoke, covered in dust.

"We have a problem, skipper," she said, patting the powdered concrete off with one hand and thumbing behind her with the other.

Shepard walked beside her and looked. The gun emplacement was entirely destroyed. She examined Ashley more closely, and sure enough, her armour was scarred with heat damage in places, black streaks smoking slightly along her side. Too close for comfort.

The comms buzzed.

"Commander, the walker has been destroyed!" reported Kaidan, out of breath. Gunfire and shouting could be heard in the background. "Tali got out, but she's hurt."

Shepard's felt sick to her stomach. She had believed for a moment that they could hold. An outcome that looked increasingly less likely.

"They'll be overrun," muttered Garrus.

"Lieutenant, retreat into the spire, get up here and seal off the elevator," Shepard said, retrieving her weapon from the ground. Kaidan acknowledged the order.

A dull but deep thud resonated through the building, shaking the floor.

"What in God's name was that?" said Ashley.

Shepard changed her comm channel with her omnitool, isolating the channel to the colony's leader. The civilians who had no marksmanship experience or were too young to fight in Shepard's eyes had been moved downstairs to shelter with a few of the older veterans. For safe keeping. The Commander feared the worst for them, cursing that she might have overlooked an angle of attack.

"Governor Fai, are the civilians alright?" she demanded, as Garrus and Ashley gathered as much useful equipment as they could.

Nothing but static came back.

"Vakarian, go down and retrieve the civilians, bring them to the docks," Shepard said, "There's not much more we can do up here."

"This is Fai Dan …. under attack.."

The message died.

"Double time, Garrus," said Shepard, "Ashley, we're going with him."

"Yes ma'am!" said Ashley, before she hopped onto the ladder and slid down its sides. Garrus followed suit.

Shepard landed almost exactly where she had fell hours earlier with Liara. Reminded of that moment and how close it had been to death, she started off at a blistering pace towards the lower floor access. It was strange to run through the main colony area, seeing no one, but she continued, one foot in front of the other as fast as she could place them.

Upon reaching the staircase, she slung her rifle onto its mag-holster and looked down. It was dark below, no emergency lights. Ashley and Garrus caught up with her, sweeping their weapons around, searching for targets.

"Follow my lead," said Shepard, activating her omnitool minifacturer. It produced a plastic cord, unwinding from the top of the device rapidly in a weaved rope. The Commander took the end of it even as the rest was being made, and tied it to the nearest pillar. As the creation process completed, she tossed the end off into the space between the stairs.

"Commander?" said Ashley.

Shepard looked at the Chief, and saw concern and doubt. She smiled back.

"What Williams, they didn't do this in Army Basic?" she joked, securing the rope to her omnitool and threading it around the backside of her waist.

Instead of waiting for a reply, Shepard jumped. The omnitool controlled her descent with a manufactured clasp. She passed several floors in mere seconds, and paid close attention to each as it passed. There were no signs of trouble.

The Commander landed gracefully, the rope's length had been perfect for the height of the drop. The thought of this coincidence was soon utterly obliterated by the sight in front of her.

There was a krogan down the passageway in front of her, standing in the glow of an activated omnitool. It had not noticed her, as he was turned with his back towards her and was engrossed by his interface. It was the only thing visible to Shepard in the absolute blackness that had enveloped her. She drew her rifle again. Questions about what the hell yet another krogan was doing working with the geth did not come up. Nor did the danger to the colony or her own life come to mind consciously. Only one thing was on her mind, even as she felt her body flood with adrenaline or perhaps because of it.

_Turkey shoot._

The familiar clarity fell over Shepard's mind as she brought the rifle to bear, sighting the krogan and putting her finger on the trigger. Her concentration was perfect.

So much so that she almost didn't hear the clatter that boomed out from behind. Ashley landed hard, the concrete ringing her armour with a dull ceramic sound as she fell onto her side. It was loud enough. The krogan turned, grabbing at its holstered weapon as he did so. It was too late.

The Commander triggered her weapon, and the anti-armour slug flew through the alien's skull with a wet thump, exiting the back of its raised hump. His body fell forwards, his shotgun discharging harmlessly into the wall beside him. Shepard looked at her work with little satisfaction, bringing her eye away from the scope and waiting for signs of movement. You couldn't take chances with a krogan.

As if to mock her, geth emerged from empty doorways, their glowing sensors betraying their positions. Shepard stood firm as they turned to investigate, one of them covered in the dark ichor from the demise of its organic leader. The glowing torch on the krogan's omnitool died, and the geth's bodies disappeared from sight.

Shepard calmly slung her AT rifle as she moved. It was useless to attempt to reload, it would take too long. She picked her pistol off her hip. Shots began flying around the air where she had shot the krogan from, the geth still unsure as to her exact location. They were hoping to find her by the return shots, Shepard realised. Dragging Ashley into the corner of the room away from the doorway before the Chief could give away their location, she put her finger to her lips. Ashley nodded. The two kept moving. Garrus began to ask what was going on over the comms. He was having trouble attaching the rope to his tool. Shepard ignored him.

The peculiar metallic padding sound of the geth moving started and began getting louder. Shepard ducked behind a protruding pillar, her pistol at the ready. Ashley followed, understanding what was about to happen.

The geth came in what could be described as a perfect demonstration of urban warfare technique. Each of them took a section to clear, and they acted with absolute precision as they boiled into the room. Shepard hoped the pillar and the darkness would throw them long enough to get a good few shots off.

Unfortunately, she was wrong.

The nearest of the synthetics turned, screeched to its fellows and fired. Ashley returned the favour immediately, her barriers flashing as they deflected the thing's shots. She stitched it with a burst from its rifle. Shepard peered around, watching the fight. The first geth fell, bubbling conductive fluids. But the others were coming.

"Cover!" shouted Garrus. The two women ducked around the pillar again.

The centre of the room where the main group of geth were standing erupted into a fireball, illuminating the whole room. When the flash died down, Shepard rushed forwards. The nearest geth had elected to turn around to investigate what had happened to the others. Her heart singing, the Commander plunged her omni blade through its back. It screeched in the geth manner as she kicked at its leg joint, causing it to fall.

As the coup de grace was delivered, another geth decloaked and fired. Shepard didn't even have time to feel surprise or shock. Her barriers were downed. The shot entered her left shoulder. She screamed with the pain, her mind filled with it. She looked around. Ashley was fighting off three more of the damn things and hadn't noticed yet. Meanwhile, the perpetrator was hovering over her, staring. Why the hell wasn't it finishing her off?

It didn't matter in the end. Garrus landed hard behind it, on his feet. He killed the thing, calmly threading a shot through the side of its metal faux-head with his pistol. Shepard got up, strongly reminded of the turian's similiarly excellent shot in Dr. Michel's clinic. She nodded her thanks to the him, holding her shoulder and reminding herself to thank him more properly later. Ashley turned, having dealt with the other targets.

Breathing heavily with the effort, Shepard waved the others over.

"You're bleeding," said Ashley in a shocked tone. She began to apply medigel. The regulation response to just such a situation.

Shepard let the Chief do her work without saying a word, unable to keep her eyes off the thing that had almost killed her. The buzzing mix of pain and excitement at the back of her head continued, though the former was diminishing by the second. Garrus shook her lightly for a moment, and she woke up. The turian was asking if she was alright.

"There's something you have to see," she said to her companions.

Shepard brought them to the corridor where her first victim of the fight lay, the floor and wall beside him coated in a bloody pulp. Garrus groaned at the sight, while Ashley picked up the impressively large dropped weapon.

"Is that another krogan?" asked Garrus.

"What's left of one," Shepard said, "We really need to talk to Wrex about where these mercs operate from."

"Do you think there are more of them?" said Ashley, her grip on the newly acquired shotgun tightening, "We're going to need support down here."

Shepard nodded her agreement, and brought up her omnitool to scan the corpse. As she waved it over the krogan, the sounds of footfalls approaching started like a rumbling thunder. Shepard stopped what she was doing immediately, and doused her lights. The others ducked into the side rooms, weapons at the ready.

The rumbling got closer, and the mild glow of artificial torches began to shine off the walls. Shepard stood her ground, stepping over the broken body but remaining in the corridor. She wanted to see what was coming. The sound of the approach wasn't like that of the geth before. It did not sound like machines.

It wasn't.

A great tide of humanity swept into view. The colonists were walking quickly but seemingly quite calmly. Children clung to parents. Teenagers and elders alike clung to weapons, neither with particular confidence. Shepard grimaced. They would have ran straight into the geth squad and the krogan had she not acted. The enemy were trying to herd the civilians into their graves.

Garrus and Ashley flicked on their own lights, and the colonists reacted immediately with near perfect choreography, the front rows bringing their weapons up together in unison. Shepard was surprised at just how coordinated their reaction had been, and could not help but raise an eyebrow. For civilians, they were very on the spot. As this ran through her head, a woman spoke as she approached.

"Commander Shepard?" she asked, "What are you doing down here?"

The colonists lowered their weapons at the sound of Shepard's name, but kept moving. The Commander waved the woman over.

"What's going on here?"

"The krogan broke down doors on the lowest level below the skybridge, attacked almost without warning," the colonist explained, "Governor Fai ordered us out as soon as the radios started acting up again, he's at the back making sure there are no stragglers while Reynolds' men hold."

As if to demonstrate the dire nature of the situation, the sounds of weapons fire and shouting started echoing from down the hall. The people started running, stampeding past and pushing the corpse out of the way. Shepard knew she had to act fast. She called her squadmates over, and turned back to the colonist.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"May O'Connell, Electrical Engineer," the woman replied.

"Well May, I need you to lead these people to the main docking area for me," Shepard said, "Can you do that?"

"But the Governor.."

"I don't care what the Governor said, I'm in charge, take your people to the dock!"

Shepard was surprised at O'Connell's reluctance to evacuate, and hoped she hadn't pushed the civilian too hard. Thankfully, the colonist nodded her compliance and quietly went to do her duty. The herd was thinning out, and the shooting was getting closer.

"Commander, what are we doing?" asked Garrus.

"We're staying here to cover the retreat," said Shepard, "We need to find some way to blow this section of the tower as well, I'm all out of explosives."

Ashley hefted the huge shotgun she had retrieved from the krogan.

"This should be able to take out the roof with the carnage shot setting," the Chief said confidently.

The veterans' rearguard ran into view, shooting back down the way they came as they moved. With them, Fai Dan and a few injured civilians ran ahead. Krogan roars were audible, both of pain and anger.

"Chief, better get that thing ready quickly!" said Garrus, taking cover at a corner.

Shepard showed her agreement by taking her RAM rifle off her back and reloading it quickly. The Governor approached.

"Commander, I see you got my message," he said, "We were afraid no one would hear."

"We heard, get your people to the dock," Shepard replied, "We'll cover your troops and blow the passageway."

"Commander, if you mean to evacuate the colony, I must object!" the man said, a strange tone of annoyance in his voice, "Our people would rather stand and fight for their home than run away."

Shepard turned her attention away from the closing firefight in front of her, and to the Governor. The man's face seemed to betray his real sentiment. He wasn't convinced by the words he had just uttered. Yet he had said them all the same. Why? The Commander frowned.

"Governor, you will do as I say," she said, "I can't defeat the geth if I have children to protect. Even if the geth take the colony, we can simply retake it if we get your people safely off-planet. I am an Alliance N7 in a time of war, and a Council Spectre. Regulations grant me broad authority on this."

"Don't worry Governor, we're not about to hand the colony to the toasters," added Ashley.

Shepard observed the man's reaction. He seemed pained for a moment, his brow furrowing and his eyes wide. She was about to put more pressure on, but he accepted her order with a fatigued expression.

"Alright Commander, we'll do it your way."

The Governor stalked away into the darkness towards the staircase without another word.

Shepard began wondering what the hell his problem was, but was interrupted when the first krogan charged into a militiaman down the hallway. The other veterans scattered as their fellow's body slumped to the ground against the wall, half-crushed. The Commander winced, and reached for her weapon.

Garrus fired his own rifle, hitting the krogan on the hump. It fell down, but from the growling-roar of pain, was not dead. Shepard cursed. She couldn't sight it, the militia were in the way. By the time the krogan got up, Ashley had found her firing lanes cleared and sent a stream of rounds at him. Unfortunately, his brothers arrived as he fell and charged.

"Ashley, now!" shouted Shepard as the last colonist passed her.

The gunnery-chief grabbed the krogan shotgun, and fired it at a support pillar. The manufactured rifle-grenade flew off the barrel and slammed into the roof support, detonating with a bright red flash. The weight of the roof was no longer held. Concrete and metal beams fell onto the krogan squad, crushing them to death as they charged. The corridor closed with rubble, a great crunch reverberating through the space. More of the damned dust filled the air as well. Shepard waved it out of her face, pointing her weapon's flashlight through to see if it was safe to move on.

Several floors had fallen through. It would take the geth and krogan some time to get through via the side room walls, and even then the integrity of the entire floor was more than likely compromised. Shepard determined it was safe for the moment.

"Well, that was more effective than I thought it would be," said Garrus in an amused tone, clapping Ashley on the shoulder.

"That makes two of us," replied the Chief, a grin plastered on her face.

Shepard couldn't smile herself. The rubble wouldn't stop the geth for long. Reinforcements were still hours or days away. She went to the krogan's corpse and completed the scan that had been interrupted before, hoping that it would provide some clue or another. Maybe Haider could do something with it.

"We need to get back upstairs," she said finally, before setting off towards the stairs.

* * *

><p>The tower was chaotic. The geth had breached the garage, and were making their way up the western staircase. Shepard listened to Lieutenant Alenko and his team try to hold them off. He had sent Liara and Wrex back with Tali, who was aching but mobile. The young quarian seemed cheery despite her bruises.<p>

The Governor appeared again, looking worried.

"What now Commander?" he asked, "The geth are coming."

The reports in her ear confirmed what Shepard knew and what Fai Dan was saying. Kaidan was doing his best to hold the enemy, but they had deployed platforms that could crawl up sheer walls, flooding the defences with them like a swarm of spiders. It was only a matter of time.

The Commander had two problems, She could not allow the geth to kill the colonists, and she could not allow the Normandy to fall into their hands. There was only one solution; evacuate the colony by putting the colonists on the ship and ordering it into space. Her first instinct had been to order this immediately, but she had stopped herself short, ordering the civilians to the dock in case they needed to be put aboard quickly.

The dilemma was huge. Saren wanted something badly, something in the colony or something the colonists had. Leaving the colony now would give it to him. Shepard didn't know what he wanted or why, but it was common sense to deny him his prize. If she left the colony, she could not stop him.

Now the moment of truth had come. She had to make a decision.

Shepard decided to split the difference.

"Get your people onto our ship," she said quietly. The man nodded, and complied, rushing away to carry out the order.

"Joker, prep the Normandy for takeoff. When the colonists are safely aboard, take off."

"Commander, you're coming too, right?" he asked, not sure of her implication.

"No. Lieutenant Alenko, Chief Williams and myself will remain behind as the N7 team. We'll evade the enemy until the Army arrives to retake the colony," Shepard said, putting as much authority as she could muster into her voice.

"Shepard, you can't expect us to.." Garrus started.

"I can't ask you to die for a human colony, Garrus," Shepard said, cutting him off, "You did not sign up for that. Ashley and Kaidan did, and so did I. We'll hold them off until the reinforcements arrive."

"Shepard..." Liara said, stepping forward, "Please, don't do this."

"I can't let the geth have the colony," Shepard said, "Go to the Normandy, that's an order."

"You don't order me around Shepard," said Wrex, pointing his claw, "I'm staying."

"This is no place for you to die," she replied.

"This is as good a place as any," the krogan growled back.

"We found more krogan on the lower levels," said Shepard, stepping towards Wrex, "Would you like to die without knowing what the hell they're doing working for Saren?"

Wrex grunted. Shepard knew she had made a point that hit home. The krogan just grimaced, and stayed silent.

"Go. Now," said Shepard, tapping her omnitool, "I'm transferring you all my combat telemetry and the scans I've made, take it to Anderson and General Haider, they'll know what to do next."

"What, that colossal bitch?" Tali said, "I'd rather..."

"Just do it," interrupted Shepard.

The Commander turned around and walked away, back towards the ladder to the top spire. Ashley fell in beside her.

"You can go too, if you want," Shepard said quietly to the Chief as they walked.

"This is my duty Shepard, to defend humanity," Ashley replied, "I'm with you."

They made it to the ladder, and the Commander grabbed it to climb but stopped.

"Have they left?" she asked.

Ashley turned to look, and then nodded. Shepard sighed with relief. She had been afraid they would simply refuse to move. Now she wouldn't have to worry about them, at the very least.

"Thank you, Chief," she said, and climbed to the top.

The sky was getting lighter. The darkness was no longer absolute, and the very edge of the horizon was a deep blue instead of starry black, stabbed by the black forms of the other towers and skyways. Shepard hoped she would see the daylight before she died. Dying surrounded in the dark would have been a terrible way to go.

"Shepard, we can't hold the geth much longer," Kaidan reported by radio, "Orders?"

"Inform your team to withdraw to the Normandy," Shepard said, "You can report to our position."

"Commander?" said Kaidan, his tone speaking the unsaid questions.

"The colony is evacuating, we're staying behind to cover their escape and wait for the Army reinforcements," she said.

A silence punctuated the air for a moment.

"Very well, Commander," Kaidan said finally. He began ordering a withdrawal.

Shepard sat down at the edge of the drop, and inspected her equipment. She had seven rounds left for the Rorsch rifle, eight thermal clips for both her pistol and semi-automatic, and three adhesive grenades. She groaned. That wasn't going to be enough.

* * *

><p>The Commander and Chief Williams waited fifteen minutes, scavenging what they could and drawing the ladder up from the tower. Long range communications were still down for an undetermined reason. Shepard hoped the Normandy would relay the situation as soon as they were clear.<p>

Kaidan arrived chased by tracer rounds, waving biotic fields behind him as he ran. The geth were behind him in force, dozens of the hoppers crawling along the walls and the footsloggers variety accompanying them. They were trying their hardest to kill the lieutenant.

Shepard lay down and began firing with her Viper rifle. She concentrated on the crawling abominations, hitting one with each shot, incapacitating them either permanently or for the moment. But soon she had to reload. As planned, Ashley started firing as she did so, aiming for the ground units that had been slowed by Kaidan's singularities and warp fields.

"Commander, we're good to go here," said Joker by the comms, "Get your ass down here!"

"No can do, Joker," Shepard said, "Get them out of here before the geth reach you!"

Joker said nothing.

The Commander resumed firing, as Ashley's rifle ran dry. The geth had stopped, letting the husks run ahead to soak up the rounds. They bubbled out of the corridor and towards Kaidan. Ashley threw down the rope to the biotic, and he climbed it with ease as husks began to paw at it. The lieutenant just managed to grab the edge of the floor before the walking corpses pulled the rope away along with the railing it had been attached to.

Shepard registered this with satisfaction. She hadn't lost anyone yet.

The Normandy rose from the side of the building into the sky, as the husks began to claw up the side of the spire. Shepard's attention went to the sight immediately. It was a beautiful thing to see.

"Good luck, Commander," said Joker finally, before the ship powered away into the sky. Shepard turned her attention back to the enemy, fortified by the knowledge that the others were safe.

The geth finally made it to the main area, shooting up at Shepard and the others as the first husks made it to the edge. The Commander switched to her pistol, as Ashley hosed the offenders down with her weapon before it ran dry again. Kaidan recovered his own rifle and rejoined the fight. The geth were starting to hit their own slaves. Shepard shot the remaining husks efficiently, taking out heads and kneecaps, the excited feeling of battle washing over her once again.

"Was it like this on Torfan?" asked Ashley desperately, riddling the last husk and taking cover.

"Worse," said Shepard, a smile on her lips. No one had died yet. She couldn't ask for more.

The spire began to shake violently. The three humans fell over, unable to stand.

Shepard crawled to the edge, and looked over. Three geth prime units had arrived, and were firing at the spire's base with their heavy weapons in a continuous stream of plasma pulses. The sound of their firing combined with the impacts to drown almost everything else. Below, the geth watched, their heads looking up at her with eerie interest. The Commander immediately realised what they were trying to do.

"Kaidan!" she shouted. The biotic lieutenant looked over, and upon seeing his commander's face, brought his powers to bear.

The top of the spire fell towards the geth, like a tree felled by a chainsaw, tipping over. As she fell, Shepard felt herself become lighter, both by the acceleration of the tower and the mass effect field around her. The falling metal crushed one of the habitation units made from the old cargoship, along with two or three squads of geth. They hadn't thought that would happen.

Shepard landed on her side, and the mass effect field dispelled. Ashley rolled to her feet beside her position, and looked for a target. The geth were all around, and she began to fire.

Frantic, the Commander followed suit. She was alive and determined to stay that way. With the worst of the enemy in mind, she holstered her pistol and brought her AT rifle into her arms once again. The first geth prime dragged itself over the rubble and scrap metal that had blocked its line of sight.

Shepard sighted the machine as it raised its weapon. She fired quickly, taking the minimum amount of time to aim, the brief humming of the weapon giving way to the thunderous bang of its discharge. The shot went through the thing's pelvic area. To the Commander's great relief, its legs gave way. She had hit the connecting structure beneath the armour, severing both legs from the spinal column. It split in two, falling backwards.

She scrambled to break open the breech of her weapon. The heatsink popped away into the air, and she grabbed another round from her side. She looked up. Three more geth primes were standing where the first had, pulling themselves up. Ashley fired at them, their weapons tracking towards both of them. The excitement of battle faded immediately, replaced by gut-wrenching fear.

Shepard dived to the side and expected to die.

It was unnecessary. A huge singularity enveloped the geth giants, tossing them in the air. They fired wildly, unable to keep steady. Shepard allowed herself to breath.

The Commander looked for Kaidan. She could have kissed him and his magnificent timing. She soon spotted him. He was unconscious or dead on the floor behind Ashley. The Chief was defending his body valiantly against the geth units flooding around the debris field to kill them. Shepard was confused for a moment.

Liara stepped out of the doorway behind their position. With a wave of her hand, she detonated her singularity field, and the geth primes were flung apart. Flaring with biotic power, the asari stepped in front of Shepard and sent more attacks at the geth hoppers skittering over the rubble.

"Liara?!" said Shepard incredulously, bringing her pistol to bear once again.

"I couldn't leave you behind," Liara replied, "We couldn't."

"Never thought I'd be glad to see you!" said Ashley, pulling a waking Kaidan by the arm into cover behind piping. Shepard moved to cover the Chief as she did so, and Liara joined her. When the geth wave had been crushed by biotics and bullets, the Commander turned to the archaeologist.

"What do you mean we?"

Garrus and Wrex stormed out of the doorway, rifles raised, as the next wave of husks and geth clambered over the crest of the fallen tower and down into the pit. The pair rushed the enemy with a joint roar, firing as they advanced. The krogan smashed husks aside with his arm as he waded into the foe, while the turian used pinpoint shots to obliterate the heads and chests of geth hoppers that jumped around them.

Shepard was so entranced by the sight, that she almost jumped out of her skin when Tali touched her shoulder pad to draw her attention.

"Sorry we're late, the geth tried to take the Normandy's dock as it tried to take off," the quarian explained, "Liara insisted on running ahead on her own." She gave over a handful of thermal clips, before rushing to the fight. Shepard was speechless for a moment. They had stayed, despite her orders to the contrary. But she was happy to see them.

"Squad, to the high ground!" she shouted, and they all shouted back their acknowledgements.

They all rushed forwards, Wrex and Ashley leading the way, laying down buckets of shots as they did so. Shepard pushed the reload into her rifle, and snapped it closed, running to join them. Liara followed, throwing a geth stealth unit aside with her biotics and firing her pistol at its fallen body.

The Commander reached the top of the pile of rubble alongside Tali and the scene below. The geth were all over the remaining habitation and the space around it, but they were retreating. Shepard felt elated.

The enemy were being beaten back. Ashley tossed grenades into the throng as Wrex and Liara herded them with biotics. Tali hacked a group into firing at the others, while Garrus shot a lumbering geth destroyer through its sensory cluster. Kaidan sat down and fired, leaning across a fallen support beam. Geth and husks fell dead in droves.

The enemy retreated with reckless abandon, but there was a booming sound. Shepard called for a ceasefire. Everyone stopped firing.

"What is that?" asked Tali, as heads swivelled to find the source of the noise.

Shepard watched as a metal head appeared over the edge of the skyscraper.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed as she realised what it was. A geth armature was climbing the side of the entire building. It screeched, and began charging its main weapon.

"Down!" shouted Garrus, and the group scattered. The shot sprayed the rubble outwards. Dust flew into the air.

Red light bounced off the smoke, filling the air as if it was on fire.

"What's that light?" asked Shepard, trying to aim at the armature.

"Sunrise," said Liara, laying beside her, reloading her pistol.

"What's that sound?" asked Tali.

For a moment, all Shepard heard was the armature climbing, more walls being smashed out of the way and the whine of servos. But then it came. Floating softly in the air, but getting louder.

"That's _When Johnny Comes Marching Home_!" shouted Ashley.

The orchestra became clearer, as shuttles flew overhead in formation. Some were heavy lift shuttles with walkers attached to them, other were standard Kodiaks with their doors open, crammed full of troops. All had loudspeakers attached to them, all of them blaring the martial music at full volume. Behind them, the sky was lit up with clouds, reflecting the red sunlight. Beautiful. Shepard smiled to herself.

"The reinforcements!" said Garrus, "They're here!"

They all cheered.

"That's not all Commander!" said Joker.

The dust cleared and the armature loomed, climbing over the side of the building and finally reaching the solid ground of the floor. Shepard looked up. The Normandy was swooping towards it and firing its main cannons. The armature was struck dead on, shattered utterly by the hits. Its pieces flew over the side into the abyss below. Joker pulled the ship into a sharp climb, and buzzed the skyscraper. Shepard waved hard as it did so, as the others stood up, their weapons held above them. Wrex's shotgun boomed into the air in triumph.

"Joker, I have never been more glad to hear your damn voice!" Shepard said with complete sincerity.

"That's two you owe me now," he said, half-jokingly.

The Commander and her crewmates climbed on top of the remaining debris, as a shuttle approached. The music stopped, and the transport's doors opened. An officer stepped out of it, accompanied by a squad of soldiers, all wearing standard Alliance armour in the black-grey American pattern. One of the latter held a flagpole with the _Stars and Stripes_ attached to it. The soldiers eyed her crew with bemusement, but what Shepard noticed most was that the officer did not even blink. A professional. He saluted when he neared, and she returned the gesture.

"Captain Toni, Bad Company, US 101st Orbital Assault Division, Fourth Legion," the man said, "This is Delta Squad. We're here to secure the colony, I understand you're the N7?"

The Commander took off her helmet and smiled. The soldiers gasped as they recognised her.

"Commander Shepard, N7, CO of the Normandy, Fifth Fleet," she said, "Council Spectre now as well, I guess."


	16. Chapter 13: Company

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD: _

_This chapter took a bit longer than usual, as I wasn't sure exactly where to take it and I was planning out the plots of some of the other story arcs. Those of you who have watched Paragon Lost will be familiar with the people here. _

_Shoutout to NenkotaMoon, who really should be less harsh on himself._

_To answer the question that one anonymous reviewer asked, namely "Where is the Humanity Fuck Yeah! in this story?", I simply say that term doesn't mean that humanity curbstomps everyone immediately, and that there is an acceptably gratifying amount of curbstomping coming. It's just boring reading if humanity overcomes its enemies and rivals easily. Even Team America got themselves shot down before they kicked Kim Jong Il's ass!_

_Very special bonus chapter is next, including the usual codex entries but also the plan for this entire series of stories, along with some of the blurbs as a special treat for passing a double milestone!_

_Without further ado, here is the cameo of Delta Squad, Bad Company, 101__st__ Orbital Assault Division of the United States of America. Enjoy._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen: Company<strong>

James Vega walked along the tunnel, watching his teammates advance in good order towards their objective. Delta Squad was moving through the lower levels of the skyscraper complex that made up Zhu's Hope, the capital of the Feros colony. If you could call it a capital. The place was a ruin in the squad leader's eyes, and James was no stranger to poor living conditions. The battle damage didn't help the impression much either. Morning light leaked down from the upper levels into the sections to reveal near-crumbling superstructures, complimented by new supports to keep it all together, but maintaining a very run-down look.

The geth had retreated quickly as soon as B Company had set down, disappearing into the bowels of the structures and making their way to the outer spires, as best they could under the watchful eye of the gunship squadron that had arrived. The machines had left the husks to slow down the Alliance troops, but James and the others had made short work of them. Now the platoon had been sent to disable a jamming device that had made local communications beyond a few hundred metres almost impossible, and to restore the colony's utilities. They were all angry. Angry about Eden Prime, angry about the husks, angry at the geth, angry at the Council for doing nothing. Their squad leader knew they would fight hard.

James had been more surprised at the other development. No one had been told that the N7 assigned to their mission was Commander Shepard. Captain Toni's response had been typically stoic, but James could tell when his superior officer was putting it on for discipline's sake. Even the CO had been in the dark about the first human Spectre's presence. His attitude had worked and no one had said a word about Shepard. For the moment.

He called for a halt. They had advanced more quickly than the other squads, as they had been using the relatively clear underpassage of the skyway that hung around the skyscraper, instead of picking through the spire's guts. He decided it would be unwise to advance without the other squads ready to back Delta up. Not with krogan supposedly lurking somewhere ahead. They gathered around the junction of one of the bridges out of the tunnel system.

"So, did anyone notice that it was Commander Shepard back there?"

The question hung in the air for a moment. James turned to the asker, annoyed slightly at the distraction. Essex was the squad loudmouth and a powerful biotic. He was speaking what was on everyone's mind. A few of the others nodded. Too late to squash the conversation.

"I think we all did," James replied, "Not sure what it has to do with the mission though."

"I thought she was kinda hot, in an neighbour's-older-sister sort of way," Essex continued. James' mind wandered to thoughts of Lola for a moment. The girl next door. Hot and tough. A redhead. Anything she used to do caught attention. A groan erupted from the soldier beside, dragging James from his brief trip into nostalgia. He turned to the source.

"Essex, you really are too predictable," said Kamille, putting her hand on her hip, "The Angel of Death shows up on one of our missions, and all you can think about is getting into her pants."

Kamille was infantry to the core. Which didn't stop her from being the subject of oogling by pretty much every male in the company, and a couple of the females too. James generally restrained himself out of respect for the soldier's abilities, which were considerable. Essex on the other hand was obsessed.

"What can I say, I'm a connoisseur!" Essex said, eyeing Kamille up with a suggestive look that his visor couldn't hide, "You're really hot when you're jealous, by the way."

Kamille slammed her riflebutt into the back of Essex's shoulder.

"Ow! That hurt!" the man said, rubbing the impact point, his biotics flaring up a little.

The rest of the squad chuckled for a minute. It must have been some hit to hurt through the armour, James thought as he laughed.

"I have to agree with Kamille though, Shepard being here isn't a good sign," another soldier added as he hefted a RAM-rifle, "Doesn't anyone around her have a tendency to get their asses shot off them?"

Milque was the squad sniper. A man conditioned towards survival as a first priority. To the point of avoiding assignments if he could, but in this case, James didn't disagree entirely with what he was saying, but he couldn't let morale drop on something like this without knowing what it was all about.

"You mean Torfan, right?" said Vega, "Everyone knows what happened, but that doesn't mean we're going to get fed into the meatgrinder here."

"I don't know, it was grim when we showed up," Kamille said, pushing Essex away as he tried to get closer to her, "The briefing didn't paint a pretty picture either, and I get the feeling we're understrength for what we have to deal with."

Vega couldn't help but agree. The entire place was littered with geth and husk bodies when they landed. Shepard and her people had barely hung on, and she had even ordered her ship offworld to safety with the colonists. None of Delta had seen any krogan bodies, the word had gone out at the briefing that they were around as well. Although eager to get into combat for the first time, meeting a krogan in the cluttered quarters of the colony gave him pause.

"What do you think, Nicky?" asked James. Nicky was the support engineer, and youngest of the squad. A quiet one, he often had some insight when he did bother to open his mouth. Even if he was overly formal.

"I was surprised to see Shepard's squad," Nicky said, "Asari, turian, krogan, quarian... All fighting for the Alliance."

Vega smiled. He had noticed that as well.

"Yeah, that asari was fiiiiine," said Essex, motioning with his hands at his chest, "The quarian too, if you're into that sort of thing."

"I guess Council Spectres get all the perks," teased Kamille, "Too bad you'll never be one, Essex."

"Oh yeah, just watch me!"

Nicky's omnitool beeped, and he brought up the interface. Vega watched his eyes widen. Not good news.

"There are geth heading straight for us!" Nicky said, an edge of panic in his tone. The squad looked to their leader as one, awaiting orders. Vega had to think for a moment. The other squads were still not in position to support, but getting caught in the open on the outer tunnels wasn't a great idea. Particularly with no comms contact. Looking around, he noticed something. He smiled as an idea sprung up.

"Alright Delta Squad, get ready!" Vega ordered, "We'll catch them by surprise!"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

><p>Vega and his squad watched as the geth passed. The ambush point was one of the narrow tunnel sections, open to the outer tunnel on two ends, with access hatches to the lower skyway along it. Nicky's drone hovered in a quiet corner, feeding the image of the geth to its masters as they walked cautiously along.<p>

In front of them, Essex and Milque lay waiting. The biotic would block their advance while the sniper picked them off. At least, that was the plan. Vega watched them pass, and gave the word.

Essex sprung from behind a collapsed column.

"Good morning, toasters!" he declared, waving at them with one hand and sending a singularity at them with the other. The front pair of geth were immediately lifted from their feet. The synthetics attempted to fire at the biotic, but missed, managing only to spin their bodies in mid-air with the recoil forces of their weapons. James winced as the geth behind fired through their fellows at the blocking soldiers. The intel was right; they really didn't care about their own casualties.

"Milque, they're all yours," Essex declared, hopping over the cover, the shots whizzing audibly by, even over the comms.

"My pleasure," replied Milque, as he lifted himself over the top. He lined up his shot and fired. The rifle spat its bullet out, the sonic boom echoing around the halls deafeningly. The shot passed through two more geth, shattering them and a large part of the concrete behind them. James smiled. The geth hesitated after that. Or at least, were forced to calculate a new course of action.

"Damn Milque, two for one!" radioed Kamille, her voice raised in surprise.

"I don't have a lot of ammunition, so I thought I'd be efficient," replied Milque coolly, ducking back down. The man was clearly pleased to have impressed his female counterpart, and James shook his head at the false modesty. Essex stood up again, throwing purple bolts of mass-destabilising warp fields at the geth. They had just began to advance again, and managed to run headlong into the biotic attack. Metallic ripping filled the air as their outer shells were torn, but most remained intact enough to take cover again.

"Vega, any time now?" asked Essex, shooting at the advancing units. The geth retaliated and hit the soldier's barriers before he could escape. James said nothing. The enemy weren't in position.

"Screw this," said Milque, "Time to go all-in."

He began to rummage around in his equipment belt for something. Vega couldn't make out what he was looking for. The geth moved closer, as Essex's attempts to suppress them with his submachinegun failed utterly. The machines simply shrugged off the losses, as if the bullets were nothing but rain. James felt a shudder go up his spine. The damn things just didn't give up.

"Milque, what are you..." began Nicky. As the words left the young engineer's mouth, Vega watched as the recon trooper flung a package at the geth. The machines stopped and looked at the thing for a moment.

"Milque, no!" James shouted. The satchel charge detonated. The explosion rocked the floor and walls, knocking dust off ledges and lighting up the early-morning shadows with a bright orange light for a tiny moment.

The videolink was shrouded by smoke. Vega feared the worst.

"Milque, Essex, report!" he said.

A moment passed, with no answer.

"Nicky, do you have lifesigns on them?" he asked. The engineer changed the image on his omnitool screen from the videofeed to a squad status monitor.

"Yeah, two of them, both stressed if their heartbeats are any sign," said Nicky, "Even their comms are still reading as green."

"Ugh, did I get them?" asked Milque groggily.

"Looks like it," said Essex, "Almost got us too, you jackass!"

"You will report when I order you to report!" James shouted into the comms, "And no stunts like that again."

"Yes, sir!" came the reply. Vega could have strangled them, but was just glad they were alive.

Nicky changed the image back to the drone's view. James analysed the sight before him. The geth that had been at the front were blown to pieces. The Protheans built things to last, it didn't look like any of the structure was collapsing. The rest of the enemy were retreating in a well-organised fashion; some units moving, some firing, interchanging between the two. But they were finally in position.

"Kamille, you're up," James ordered.

"Gotcha," came the cheery reply, followed first by metallic gun-cocking noises, and then by copious amounts of gunfire. Kamille really was a gem, James thought as he watched the carnage unfold.

"We better get moving too," the squad leader added, knocking Nicky on the shoulder. The engineer nodded, turning his omni off and grabbing his shotgun. After checking that his subordinate was ready, Vega went to the door and pulled away the concrete slab jammed into its opening mechanism. Tossing it away, he took a deep breath. The novelty of the first combat mission wore off quickly, though his heart was still beating with excitement as opposed to fear. The geth had fallen straight into his trap.

A slap on the controls, and the door was open. The geth were moving past, too busy dealing with the fire from both sides of the tunnel. Milque and Essex on one side, hammering precision fire and biotic attacks down the path, Kamille on the other, hosing the geth position down with every sign of enjoying herself. Bracketing the enemy right in front of James and Nicky.

They both smiled as they raised their weapons and fired.

The rounds thumped and pinged as they entered the bodies of the geth, and strange grey goo leaked out. Vega couldn't help but enjoy the sound, even as he wondered what the hell the liquid they were bleeding was. The machines' bodies fell on top of one another, their weapons firing wildly in all directions, but not concentrating enough to breach the barriers of their executioners.

It was over in seconds. The pile of 'dead' geth twitched and sparked.

The firing stopped, allowing James and Nicky to step out into the tunnel. The rest of the squad approached, and joined the two in staring at the pile.

"I'm surprised that worked," said Kamille, poking the nearest body with her foot, "Well played, Vega."

"How did that work, is what I'm worried about," asked Milque, "Don't the geth usually give less of a crap about their own casualties? How'd you know they'd retreat?"

"They're protecting a jamming device," said James, "I just figured they would …. I don't know, calculate that them being alive would help them do that. You know, better than them throwing themselves at us like beserkers anyway."

"Speaking of which, can we get more than a location beep off yet?" asked Essex, "We should probably..."

A colonist blundered into the scene, looking somewhere between confused and stoned out of his mind. Apparently, the firefight, the pile of geth bodies, and the heavily armed soldiers in front of him were nothing to worry about. He stopped in his tracks and swayed slightly, as the squad looked on in complete disbelief. Before Vega could react, Essex swung his hand and put the man in a biotic grip.

"Who the hell is this guy!" Kamille said, aiming at the new arrival, "All the colonists were supposed to be secure at Zhu's Hope."

For all the bravery, the squad was jumpy. Vega sighed. They needed to cool off.

"Essex, stand down," James ordered, "He's a scared colonist, not a krogan."

"What if he's working with the geth?" Essex asked loudly.

Vega bristled, raising himself to his full height. The biotic had crossed the line, and now he knew it.

"Alright, alright."

The biotic stasis field stopped, and the colonist staggered for a moment, regaining his feet. He began laughing. Vega stepped forward, despite the strangeness of the man, hands out to reassure the man.

"I'm Gunnery-Chief James Vega, we're with the Alliance, here to fight the geth," he explained, "Who are you and what are you doing down here?"

"Ian Newstead, at your service," the colonist said, "I'm down here because I had to get away from.."

Newstead doubled over, groaning with either pain or pleasure, holding his chest and head. Vega backed off a step. What the hell was going on?

"Are you alright?" asked Nicky, moving to the man's side to help him up again.

"Oh, I'm fine, just invoking the master's whip," Newstead said, "Feels good to defy it, with the right assistance."

The colonist grabbed into his pockets, took out a vial of pills and swallowed a few. After gulping them down, he sighed, standing a little more straight.

"Much better."

"Oh, that's just great," said Milque, brandishing his rifle as if to hit the colonist around the head, "The guy's guzzling pills like candy, he can't tell us jack!"

Vega couldn't help but agree. The man seemed extremely unbalanced. Uniquely so.

"I don't suppose you've seen any krogan around here?" Kamille asked Newstead, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh yeah, dozens of them," said Newstead in a relaxed tone, "Down that way, crowded around. Master wants me to stay away from them, but keep an eye out."

The squad looked at each other in disbelief. Vega knew that every one of them was thinking the same thing. This was a person who needed to be put away for his own safety.

The sound of gunfire, muffled by distance and echoing off concrete, started from the direction that Newstead had indicated. Vega frowned. The other squads were in serious trouble if this insane man was correct, and if he was right about the location, he might not be lying about the numbers.

Another realisation came to the squad leader's mind. He couldn't warn them about enemy numbers due to the damn jamming device. The only option was to press forward.

"Alright Ian, you just stay here," Vega said in a calm tone, "Delta Squad, we have work to do!"

* * *

><p>"It's a damn slaughterhouse down here, Vega," reported Kamille, leaning around a corner to shout it, "No sign of any krogan though."<p>

"This room's entirely empty," added Essex from another doorway, "Not even bodies."

James frowned. They had followed the sounds of fighting for an hour, and found nothing but bodies. A couple of krogan, but mostly human. Captain Toni was among them, and James had never thought he'd see the day where that hardass would be capable of dying. Bad Company had lost its leader and almost an entire platoon. Where the hell were the krogan hiding? How do you hide dozens of giant walking tanks to begin with? The spire complex was a maze of long corridors, rooms, elevator shafts and staircases, sure, but the krogan weren't quiet types. As these questions raced in his mind, James stepped in something wet. He looked down.

Someone's guts were on the floor.

James felt his throat burn with vomit. He swallowed quickly and held his breath. The impulse to spew subsided enough to control, and he stepped away, moving his eyes away from the sight. Just in time for Nicky to throw up all over his boots.

"Ugh, sorry sir," Nicky said, holding onto James to get himself on his feet again and wiping his mouth with his armoured glove, "Couldn't help myself."

Containing himself, James simply nodded. Now both the top and bottom of his boots were covered in something foul, and the stench would follow him around. Great.

"Your drone picking anything up?" he asked, holding back a rebuke. He began putting the breather section onto his mask to get away from the smell as the engineer checked his omnitool. Distractions weren't to be tolerated, given the danger.

"It seems to be glitched," Nicky replied, "It won't respond to my move commands, and the camera won't move off of this dead guy."

Vega immediately grabbed Nicky's arm and swung it around to look at the image. It was a dead Alliance soldier, from Alpha squad, lying propped up against a wall. The dead man's omnitool was on and active.

"It's a.." Vega began.

Milque's RAM-rifle boomed with deafening force. A ferocious roar drowned the air, flowing through the room. James saw Nicky physically flinch, and turned to see, knowing what he would find and fearing just how he would find it.

A heavily armoured krogan had grabbed Milque. James brought his rifle up to shoot, but couldn't get a clear shot. The enemy began beating on his squadmate, hit after hit smashing into the human's body. More krogan started out from an access hatch.

"Milque!" said James, rushing forward to help, not sure exactly how he would do that.

The krogan grabbed the sniper once again, and threw him clean across the room. Milque crashed against a corner and slumped to the ground.

"Bastards!" screamed Essex, unleashing his biotics once again, as Kamille rushed up beside him. The krogan retreated, scared off by the display of dark energy. Confident he had a moment, Vega moved to Milque's body.

"Be alive, you asshole," he muttered as he removed the sniper's helmet. Searching for a pulse, he found one. Grabbing his own rifle, he signalled Nicky over.

"Get some medigel into him, and stay close by until you know he's not dying on us," he said.

"Yes, sir!"

Vega joined the fight. Essex's biotics were proving difficult to manage for the krogan, but they were tough sons of bitchs. The team's weapons weren't getting the job done. Kamille rattled off a few more rounds, and then ducked around to reload.

"We're barely stratching them," she said, flicking the spent clip out of her weapon. The soldier looked at James for a moment, before turning again to fire. Yet more krogan were climbing out of the hatch. They were massing for a charge. The textbook krogan response to resistance. A thought occurred to Vega as he watched this. There was one weapon that could put the hurt on these aliens.

"Where's Milque's rifle?" he asked.

The shot boomed out. It clipped Kamille's side, sending her spinning. She flailed to the ground, dropping her weapon and moaning with pain. One of the enemy had picked up the RAM-rifle and used it.

"KAMILLE!" screamed Essex, sending a flurry of biotic warp fields down the corridor at the krogan. As they threw themselves out of the way, he rushed to his downed squadmate's side and dragged her into cover. James was enraged, his heart racing as he gnashed his teeth in his mouth. Stopping himself from simply charging, he quietly peeked around the corner and searched out the krogan that had picked up the weapon.

The alien in question was kneeling, helmet off, and pleased with his work. A toothy grin was on the enemy's face as he fumbled with the reloads on the side of the weapon. Hate washed over Vega as he readied his weapon, and leaned out to shoot.

The shots were perfect. He sent a three round burst at the krogan. The bullets penetrated just below the alien's protective ridge, near its eye. Twitching, the alien slumped forward dead over the weapon it had stolen. James was not satisfied. With a shout of his own, he took potshots at the others who weren't behind cover. The others were not amused.

The shooting that had been sparse until then intensified greatly. James returned the favour, ducking in and out of the corner where Kamille had been hit to harrass the krogan. A minute later, and Essex rushed across the corridor to join in.

"Kamille, you alive back there?" James asked at last, waking from his own little blood rage for long enough to realise it.

"My shoulder is dislocated," came the reply, followed by Kamille herself. She was moving at least, and still able to fight if the SMG in her hand was any indication. Nicky also came, shotgun at the ready.

"Milque is stable, but still under," he said, nodding over at the sniper's body. James glanced at the injured man in the room behind, and shook his head. He felt like he could tear the krogan limb from limb for a moment, before reason reasserted itself again.

"Here they come!" shouted Essex. James looked and wished he hadn't.

The krogan were rushing down the corridor in a great column, grunting and roaring as they did, shooting as they came on. Essex caught the first few with a biotic throw, sending them sprawling back into their fellows, but the group just kept pounding forwards. Kamille and Essex fired, spraying and praying. Their prayers were answered, and the krogan slowed as the front ranks began to sprout bloody holes. But they didn't stop. James felt the first pang of real fear he had ever felt. Existential, soul crushing fear.

Almost without thinking, he began gathering up all of his fragmentation grenades. There was only one way the krogan were going to be stopped, the same way the geth had been. He stuck all of the explosives to his utility belt, and went to the corner. The krogan charged forwards. He would only have one shot.

When Vega hoped they were close enough, he primed as many of the grenades as he could and threw the belt out into the corridor.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" he roared. Daring not to watch, he ducked back, waiting for the inevitable detonation.

The grenades blew up separately, a chain of bangs like firecrackers, but louder, accompanied by the pinging and dull thudding of the shrapnel hitting concrete, armour and krogan. The latter gave out moans as their bodies fell to the ground.

Vega nodded to Essex across the space, and they both jumped out, guns held up and biotics flaring. Most of the krogan were dead, or at least mortally wounded, huge bleeding gashes in their armour leaking onto the floor or limbs blown clean off. Others were stunned, still alive but wounded enough that they'd need to regenerate.

James took the opportunity, and rushed forwards. He delivered killing bursts to three or four of the enemy before they started to recover, while Essex tore into a similar number with his biotics. It was a mistake. Vega's weapon clicked at him as he tried to fire at the next target. Cursing, he began to reload. He looked over to his teammate. It was pretty clear that Essex was at the end of the line where his biotics were concerned. And the surviving krogan were dragging themselves up. Too many to stop.

"Back! Get out of here!" ordered James, reloading as fast as he could while standing his ground. If he was going to die, he was going to do it defending his people. He roared a challenge at the krogan as Essex drew back. James knew the biotic would get Kamille and the others to safety.

As the hulking aliens stood up and shouted back at him, a strange clarity fell over James. It was a feeling beyond hate or anger or excitement. He levelled his weapon and fired at the nearest target, time seeming to slow as he did so. The target went down, and he began to aim at the rest. They were all running at him, the rage boiling off them in an almost-visible aura. He killed another, but the rest attacked. His barriers flashed, shots ricocheting off of them. He began moving to cover, but the krogan reached him first.

The charge slammed Vega off of his feet and onto his back. The front of his helmet was smashed, and he tore it off with one hand, still determined to fight. Breathing heavily, he looked up to find himself staring down a gun barrel. He closed his eyes, shaking with fear, and waited for the end.

A shot rang out like a thunderclap.

James opened his eyes to find the krogan in front of him falling onto its back, a huge hole blasted in its head. Tracers and biotic warp fields flew down the corridor, striking the remaining krogan in turn, breaking through their armour and killing them. They were being cut down mercilessly.

A figure decloaked beside him. Red hair, near-luminous green eyes, RAM-rifle cradled in one arm still smoking lightly from its discharge, the other held out to him, offering her hand to pull him up.

Commander Shepard.

The first human Spectre wasn't alone. Nicky and Milque stood beside her, along with the asari she had been with at the landing zone. Vega glanced around and found Essex and Kamille with the quarian and turian, weapons at the ready. He glanced back at his saviour.

"You did well," Shepard said, smiling, "You held them off."

Vega immediately threw up the contents of his stomach on her boots.


	17. Codex: Zhu's Hope & The Plan

_AUTHOR'S FOREWORD: Here is another bonus chapter for another milestone, very happy! This one will be quite big, as you'll see. Chapter 13 is out as well, so don't miss that._

_Two things._

_First of all, the plan for the entire series of this fiction, with teaser-blurbs for two of the planned fics. The more I write, the more ambitious I get and the more ideas come to mind. So yeah, time to actually reveal the plan before it gets even more out of hand. Which it definitely already has._

_Second, codex entries on Zhu's Hope, the Alliance Navy fleet, the human economy, and the Alliance's political landscape. Pretty big entries._

_So yeah, hope this is good enough for all you fine people following this story, and hopefully the stories to come!_

* * *

><p>The plan for the Battlefield-ME series<p>

**_Shepard's War: Battlefield 2183, Battlefield 2185, Battlefield 2186._**

Covering the events of the Eden Prime War, the Collector invasion and the "Reaper War" proper. Given that these events are set and happen regardless of what humanity or anyone else could do in terms of the dates, the timeframes of these are pretty much set. If the Reapers could invade any faster than they did in the canon, I think they would have. Humanity being vastly more competent/aggressive wouldn't really change that.

Before it is asked, I already have the ending planned. To the entire series. As well as most of how we'll get there. Look for hints.

**_Battlefield 2184: Children of Earth_**

_The Enemy Without, the Enemy Within, the Enemy Beyond. Humanity fought Saren's geth, but the devils at its door remain. Three soldiers, three stories, three enemies of Earth. _

Three shorter stories following what happens to three characters in this story. One deals with the response to the events of the Bring Down the Sky DLC from the game, one will replace the storyline of the novel Ascension, and one deals with the arrival of the Collectors. Each has a separate main character.

**_Battlefield 2157: The Secret History of the First Contact War_**

_Humanity survived the First Contact War. Everyone knows the story. The turians attacked, conquered Shan'xi, were driven out a month later and the war was ended prematurely due to the intervention of the asari. Everyone knows the heroes, like Admiral Drescher and Colonel Ryan. But why did the asari intervene? Why did an entire regiment refuse an order to surrender? How was Earth saved from invasion and subjugation? A prequel to Battlefield 2183: the secret story of humanity's first real steps into the galaxy._

Given the background of this AU, the First Contact War is obviously different. I hope to have the first chapter of this up after I complete the Feros arc on this story. Might put the prologue up tomorrow. The main characters have already shown up in BF2183. Shoutout to whoever guesses correctly. One is obvious, one isn't.

**_Battlefield: Wars of the Systems Alliance_**

_Humanity is no stranger to war, and the past thirty years have proven bloody. A documentary on human conflicts since First Contact, covering the Verge Conflict, the Eden Prime War and the Reaper War, focusing on the key engagements both in space and planetside, the key people who made victory possible, and just how close we came to defeat. _

An in-universe documentary series published in 2197 for the anniversary of Armistice Day, inspired by the real life Battlefield TV series for the BBC and PBS. Basically a side project to get my ideas on the various battles out of the way, provoked by the shared name between the Battlefield games and the old TV documentary. Will cover the Verge Conflict at first: Mindoir, the Mercenary War, Elysium, Anhur, Torfan, and the Kite's Nest, all in pretty much the same style as the TV series. I'll expand it the further we go along to include the Eden Prime War, Collectors, Reapers, etc etc. Also, a conflict you don't know about yet. In short, a bridge between BF2157 and BF2183, and clarification on events that my characters don't see directly in the main series.

* * *

><p><strong>Codex: Zhu's Hope<strong>

_The capital of Feros colony, Zhu's Hope is the primary centre of the United States Colonial Administration for the planet and the primary population centre. Named for the Mayor of Boston Hadley Zhu, a famous politician who saved the city of Boston during the worst of the glacial flows, most of the colonial population have immigrated from that area of the northeastern US and are no strangers to hardship. Encouraged by generous corporate subsidies and pushed out by continuing cold climate, nearly three thousand people call the colony home. _

_Its primary corporate sponsors are the Exogeni Corporation, a specialist company with interests in colonial development and biomedical research. Further support is provided by the Yutani Corporation, a colonial development investment company, and the American Space Colonisation Fund, a charity aimed at providing a better life off-world for impoverished or at risk Americans on Earth. The colony is currently lead by Governor Daniel Fai alongside a small colonial council._

**Codex: Alliance Naval Vessels**

_The Alliance Fleet consists of many classes of FTL-capable starships, ranging in size from strategic bombers and torpedo-corvettes to fleet carriers. The design philosophy of the Alliance is that every human ship must outperform the ships of any other species in its specialised role. The Alliance has succeeded in every class of starship except for dreadnoughts, for which the Turians still hold supremacy by default, and stealth frigates, for which the title is shared between the turians and humans. _

_The reason for the design philosophy is simple; humanity's fleets are vastly outnumbered by the potential threats they face. While the strategic deterrence weapons keep much of the risk at bay, Alliance High Command is under no illusion that humanity is safe. Their caution has been vindicated by the geth attack on Eden Prime, and the politicians who once blocked mass expansion of the Navy are now lining up to vote for larger fleets and newer ships._

_Ships are divided into eight fleets commanded by Admirals, which are in turn divided into carrier task groups, cruiser patrol groups, frigate wolfpacks and deterrence patrol groups commanded by group-captains. Carriers and dreadnoughts are commanded by group captains, or admirals if they are being used as a flagship, cruisers and deterrence frigates are commanded by captains, frigates are commanded by commanders, and all smaller classes are commanded by flight lieutenants._

_Ship classes:_

_Fleet carrier: Niké, Macha_

_Dreadnought: Thor, Heracles_

_Cruiser: New York, Belfast, New Delhi_

_Frigate: __Agincourt, El Alemain_

_Deterrence frigate: Thermopylae, Okinawa_

_Stealth frigate: Normandy, Churubusco (in development – stealth deterrence)_

_Resupply-Resource-Recovery ships: Ceres, Birgitte_

_Torpedo corvette: Kennedy_

_Strategic bomber: A-62_

**Codex: Alliance Fleet Carriers**

Niké-class:

_The Niké-class (knee-kay) is the fourth-generation primary fleet carrier class of the Alliance Navy, and the nail that holds the fleets together. First commissioned in 2176, the class is the first child of the marriage of human ambition and quarian technical know-how. At 2,200 metres in length, the Niké-class is the largest warship class in service with any Citadel fleet. Its considerable armament, surprising manoeuvrability, and unmatched defensive capabilities make it arguably the most powerful starship class in the galaxy except for the Destiny Ascension-class superdreadnought. Designed for long range operations far from friendly space, it was created with the tactics of its day in mind. Prior to its introduction, the batarians and their pirates would drop out of FTL inside Alliance cruiser pickets and do serious damage to carriers before any retaliation could be made, in desperate attempts to cripple superior Alliance naval power. The tactic was suicidal, but effective enough to cause human engineers to go back to the drawing board. Luckily for the Alliance, the Quarian-Human Accords were signed just as the first keels were being laid down, and the project gained significantly from the technical expertise gleaned from quarian engineers. _

_In order to pay for the huge costs of construction, the Alliance Parliament authorised civilian versions to be made available to the market, with container-cargo versions for sale generally and colony ship versions for lend-lease to human corporations and NGOs. The Niké's civilian sisters now ply the trade routes from Inner Council Space far into the Terminus Systems, and are particularly common in the Quarian Migrant Fleet under use as homeships._

_Every Niké-class carrier possesses forward torpedo tubes, an array of cruiser-class mass accelerators along its flanks, space for two hundred fighters and fifty bombers or utility craft, eighty launchers, EMP weaponry for planetary assaults, triplicate kinetic barriers, ultra-dense and ablative armours, point defence lasers, engine-thrust articulators, and equipment manufacturing capabilities. The Athena subclass commissioned in 2182 also has far more extensive VI, ECM, ECCM and decoy capabilities, and all previous examples of the class are being equipped similarly as of 2183. _

_The class is named for the Greek victory deity. There are sixteen Niké-class carriers in service in 2183, and five more under construction. _

_Subclasses: Niké (2176), Athena (2182).  
>Civilian subclasses: Aphrodite-class (2177 – colony ship), Nile-class (2177 – container ship).<em>

Macha-class:

_The Macha-class (mah-kah) is the third-generation fleet carrier of the Alliance Navy, previously the lead carrier class until the introduction of the Niké. First commissioned in 2165, it was the first human carrier design to have standard equipment comparable to that of other species' ships. An effective if inelegant design, the class was the mainstay of the human fleets until after the Eagle Nebula Campaign of 2176 and the assault on Anhur. Examples of the Macha-class suffered heavily in the war against the batarian slavers and pirates, due to the suicidal tactics used by enemy commanders, often falling victim to kamikaze style attack runs by batarian religious fanatics. _

_Only one example of the Macha-class was lost in combat, but almost all of them were heavily damaged between 2170 and 2178. Of the twenty-one ships commissioned, only five remain in service as of 2183, of which only one has seen combat, the class-leader SSV Macha. The names of decommissioned Macha-class carriers are transferred to the new Niké-class in turn, and the names of all those who died on the predecessor ships are written on plaques on the CIC of each of the new class, so that their sacrifice continues to be honoured._

_Each Macha-class fleet carrier possesses broadside mass accelerators, point defence weaponry, space for one hundred and fifty fighters as well as twenty bombers or utility craft, forty launchers, dual kinetic barriers, ablative armour and engine-thrust articulators. _

_The Macha-class is named for the Irish goddess of war and sovereignty._

_Subclasses: Macha (2165), Minerva (2176 – Modernisation – All ships retrofitted as of 2183)._

**Codex: Alliance Dreadnoughts**

Thor-class:

_The Thor-class is the lead class of dreadnought designed by the Systems Alliance. First commissioned in 2174, it was designed to outshoot the ships of the Batarian Hegemony. The batarians withdrew from the Citadel Council's jurisdiction about ten years previously, and were worried about the turian response to their decision. In order to placate the Council, they promised to continue compliance with the Treaty of Farixen as long as humanity did. This left both the Alliance and the Hegemony unable to compete in quantity, so an arms race began as both sides attempted to compete on quality. The resulting ship design on the Alliance side is the Thor-class._

_The Thor contains a number of technical innovations and improvements, particularly to kinetic barriers, power supply, heat management and the rate of fire of its main battery. It served with distinction during the Verge Conflict, both in a space-superiority role and as a celestial-body bombardment ship. It is also designed as a command and control ship, and examples of the class serve as the flagships for five of the eight Alliance fleets. _

_The class is named for the Nordic god of war. There are five ships of the class in service as of 2183, and another two under construction. _

Heracles-class:

_The Heracles-class (hair-ah-clays) is the newest human class of dreadnought, designed for a new tactical philosophy and new technology. First commissioned in 2182, the ship design differs greatly from other dreadnought designs. Based on tactical modelling and war experience with carrier designs, the Heracles is built to FTL jump into the midst or rear of an enemy formation rather than snipe from afar. Once in position, it opens fire with ferocious broadside weaponry like an old Earth ship-of-the-line, using independently cooled gatling mass-accelerators, torpedo launchers and missile pods. Its prow-weaponry consists of EXALT launchers in a similar pattern to an Alliance carrier, and has just a single dreadnought-scale mass-accelerator. It also has the capability to use an experimental thermal sink system co-developed with the quarians._

_As the hull design is based on the old Perseus-class dreadnought, which was first commissioned before First Contact, the Heracles is smaller than most dreadnoughts. This fact has earned it the reputation as a "pocket battleship" class. However, it uses components in modular kits that are already manufactured for other classes of ship or for export, making it the cheapest dreadnought ever commissioned and making it capable of being constructed with great ease. Furthermore, like all the newer classes of Alliance ship, it is designed to operate on long range missions without support. While it is not intended to replace the Thor-class, the dominance of the carrier in human naval strategy may result in the Heracles becoming the more common class in the Alliance Navy, as resources are prioritised for carrier construction._

_The Heracles-class is named for the Greek hero and demi-god, also known as Hercules. There are two Heracles dreadnoughts in service with the Alliance Navy in 2183, with another under construction._

Codex: Alliance Cruisers

_Alliance cruisers are designed as smaller versions of dreadnoughts or carriers, as well as specialised planetary assault cruisers. "Gun" cruisers sport typical mass accelerator weapons along their length and act as the long range artillery in engagements. "Escort carrier" cruisers sport multiple frigate/destroyer level weapons along their flanks and deploy either fighters or interceptors as a screen in actions too small for the deployment of fleet carriers. "Assault" type carriers exist to deploy planetary assault titans onto enemy planets from orbit, and are the space operations bases for the Alliance Army legions. They typically use EXALT launch tubes as their primary anti-ship armament. All of these types are based on the same hull, and each cruiser class has a subclass for each role. _

_Alliance cruisers are named for the cities of Earth. Escort carriers tend to carry the names of port cities._

_Classes in service: New York (2167), Belfast (2175), New Delhi (2180 – Named for the 2155 class)_

**Codex: Alliance Frigates**

_Frigates have three roles in the Alliance Navy: fleet support, reconnaissance and strategic deterrence. Six classes of frigate are in service as of 2183, two for general fleet use and two for WMD deterrence operations, with two more stealth classes under trial to augment the existing proven designs. In the reconnaissance role, the Alliance Navy assigns N7s to frigates for scouting planets and other locales, and to conduct special operations behind enemy lines. In the deterrence role, frigates are armed with a variety of nuclear, mass-destabilisation, EMP, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction. Nuclear and EMP are the only two types found on every deterrence patrol. With these weapons, frigates patrol border regions as quietly as possible, awaiting orders to strike at enemy colonies and shipyards in retaliation for attacks on humanity's own. _

_Fleet frigates are named after famous battles in human history. Strategic deterrence frigates are named after famous last stands in human history. _

_Current classes: _

_Fleet frigates: Agincourt (2169), El Alemein (2177) _

_Deterrence frigates: Thermopylae (2173), Okinawa (2181)._

_Stealth frigates: Normandy (2183 – co-developed with the Turian Hierarchy), Churubusco (2183 – stealth deterrence)_

* * *

><p><strong>Codex: The Human Economy<strong>

_When humanity gained an embassy on the Citadel in 2165, the economies of Earth and its colonies were fully integrated with those of the Council species and their associates. Before this point, the only species with whom humanity traded openly was the Quarians, but both state-owned companies and private corporations prepared for years to break into the consumer markets of the other species. The preparations paid handsome dividends, as everything from chocolate to military hardware hit the galactic economy in a great wave, causing a human economic boom that has continued to this day. Due to careful government management and longsighted entrepreneurship in the private sector, economic growth in the Alliance has continued for twenty years, doubling human wealth over the course of that time. Only setbacks such as pirates in the Traverse or the conflicts with the batarians have restrained this unprecedented transfer in wealth to humanity. _

_While the Alliance is entering a golden age in terms of its growth, there remain serious concerns. Human manufacturing of cheap versions of established products have damaged the reputation of Alliance corporations. Wealth inequality is a serious problem, and would be a fatal one were it not for the safety valve of the colonies and government colonisation programmes. Welfare programmes are not organised via the Alliance Parliament, and so the level of income redistribution varies wildly throughout human space. Independent colonies founded without oversight or support in the outer Traverse and in the Terminus Systems are also undercutting labour and flouting regulations. These problems have been hot political issues for a number of years, and it does not seem likely that they will be resolved any time soon. _

_Humanity's primary exports are foodstuffs, helium-3 fuel, mass-produced consumer equipment, cultural media (books, films, videogames), medical tech, starships and military equipment, while its main imports exotic food, asari cultural media, eezo and manufacturing designs. The human balance of trade is favourable but not entirely so, primarily due to the huge per capita demand for eezo. Humanity's civilian and military fleets are still expanding rapidly, and many new consumer goods require eezo in some quantity, meaning that imports of the element are a substantial drain on the economy. _

**Codex: Politics of the Systems Alliance**

_Aside from economics, the main political issues of the Alliance are humanity's relationship with other species, transhumanism, the continued existence and hostility of the Batarian Hegemony, political and economic corruption, and colonisation politics. _

_Nationalist politics have been in a severe decline as humanity rallied together against what it perceives as many less-than-friendly alien powers around it. However, with slightly less than half of all humans now living on colonies, debates over the political structure of the Alliance have started, particularly over colonial rights. While every major colony is represented in the Consilium, that body is less powerful than the Senate, which is still heavily dominated by Earth due to its concentration of population. This has created debate between federalists, who believe that the directly elected Senate should continue its higher role, and confederalists, who want greater independence for every individual colony._

_Another major issue is the genetic and cybernetic modification of human beings. While major genetic rewrites are forbidden by law and opposed by every political group, debate over the potential of such technologies is fierce. Arguments for longer lifespans and greater capabilities are met in turn with arguments about preservation of humanity's essence and the dangers of abuses. The arguments of both feed into disputes about economics and who should be improved. At present, only Alliance soldiers receive state subsidised genetic improvements, a compromise position reflecting humanity's fear of subjugation and deep disagreements on the subject of enhancement. _

_An issue most of the political factions unite around is humanity's place in the galaxy. Almost every party agrees that the Alliance should engage in regime change in the Kite's Nest against the Batarian Hegemony, although only Terra Firma say that it should be done against the wishes of the Citadel Council. Getting concessions from the Council on political representation at the highest level is a key issue, and every government has asked that humanity be included on the Council itself. Debate over the level of military involvement in humanity's expansion is largely confined to the fringes, the major parties all tend to agree on military spending and the Military Appropriations Committee is the only one that is non-partisan. _

_Each parliamentary session is a five year term, though elections must be called early if the government fails to pass a budget before a certain date each year or it loses a vote on a law which it supports. However, since the first full parliamentary election in 2162, no government has fallen before its term has been up. The closest that any government came to falling was in 2170, after the attack on Mindoir, when the Alliance formally declared the First Skyllian War on the Batarian Hegemony. _

_The parties represented in the Alliance Parliament (in order of numbers of seats) are the Labour Party, the People's Party, the Confederation Party, the Green Party, Terra Firma, the Radical Party and the Spacer League. As of the August 2182 general election, the Government is a grand-coalition of the Labour Party and the People's Party, holding 523 seats between them. The Official Opposition is led by the Confederation Party, the largest party not in government with 112 seats. The election saw the Labour Party's majority government lose a hundred and forty seats, forcing it into a coalition with its main rival, the People's Party._

_Alliance Parliament composition:_

_Labour Party: 262 seats (social-democratic/democratic-socialist, transhumanist, federalist, militarist). Government coalition member. Party Leader: Consul Alexander deBankole. Party heartlands: Earth constituencies, the "old bloc" of pre-First Contact colonies, heavily industrialised colonies of the former._

_The People's Party: 261 seats (corporatist/moderate conservative, moderate human purist, federalist, militarist). Government coalition member. Party Leader: Consul Alice Dennison. Party heartlands: Colonies of the Attican Traverse and the Skyllian Verge, wealthy areas of Earth._

_The Confederation Party: 112 seats (new liberal/colonial rights/libertarian, moderate human purist, confederalist, dovish). Official Opposition Leader. Party Leader: Cason Harri. Party heartlands: Colonies in all regions of space, particularly near Citadel space._

_The Green Party: 60 seats (ecologist/new colonialist, human purist, federalist, pacifist). Opposition. Party Leader: Esme Herriott. Party heartlands: Colonies with touristic aspirations or unique climatic conditions, northern Earth constituencies._

_Terra Firma: 36 seats (human ultranationalist, transhumanist, federalist, imperialist) Opposition. Party Leader: Charles Saracino. Party heartlands: Colonies in the Skyllian Verge and border colonies of the Attican Traverse near the Terminus Systems._

_The Radical Party: 13 seats (collectivist/integrationist, human purist, confederalist, pacifist). Opposition. Party Leader: N/A, collective leadership._

_Spacer League: 6 seats (spacer and minor colony rights, no position on transhumanism, confederalist, militarist). Opposition, Party Leader: Frank Shingleton._


End file.
